Ranger's ApprenticeJourney of Alexandra
by ChibiLover123
Summary: Basically follows this awesome series through the 'eyes' of my own character. I hope you all enjoy it! Chapter 23 up! Book One complete as of Chapter 15! - Mild HoraceAllie at first, but mainly ErakAllie -
1. Chapter 1

Allie is a strange blind girl who wants to be a great warrior, like her brother, but can she do it without being able to see? That's where the Ranger's come in...

Allie is used to being blind; it doesn't stop her from being as adventurous as any other child. It's this adventurousness that puts her on Halt's radar, and she's offered the chance to become a Ranger. Training alongside her new friend, Will, can she overcome the handicap that she had grown so used to? Or will it be the death of her?

Mild Horace/Allie

Primarily Erak/Allie (^^trust me, it's better than it sounds^^)

* * *

><p>Footsteps virtually silent on the soft grass, the young girl slipped between the trees, hands running over the rough bark as she passed.<p>

Her head twitched at the sound of voices and footsteps, faint to normal hearing, and she adjusted her direction to close in on the source.

Pausing behind a tree, the girl waited as the voices stopped on the other side, conversing and utterly absorbed.

Once sure they were occupied, she found a foothold to boost herself up to the lowest branch and hauled herself up.

The wood didn't even creak under her light weight, and the child managed to climb around until she was crouched above the people she had stalked.

The slight lull in the conversation was just what she had been waiting for.

The young man, who had been chatting with a friend of his from Battleschool, jerked slightly in surprise when a weight suddenly landed on his shoulders and back.

Fortunately, the weight was so light (and he was so strong and large from training) that it did no harm.

Looking over his shoulder, he saw a mass of dark red curls and mismatched eyes, glazed over and sightless.

"Hey, Allie. Having fun?"

The child, only eight, grinned widely and nodded enthusiastically, both eyes (one a bright blue and the other a deep violet) twinkling with joy despite their blindness.

"Yup!"

Rolling his eyes heavenward, knowing that Allie couldn't tell, he smiled as his friend regained whatever wits he had left.

"I almost thought she was some kind of ghost!" The poor boy complained, adrenaline still rushing through his system.

"Coward."

The larger boy teased, plucking Allie from his back and holding the child like a sack of potatoes under one arm.

"No, John! Put me down!"

Ignoring her giggling protests, John continued the walk home, his friend jogging to catch up.

"Better get this little cub home before mom has a fit…"

* * *

><p>Drumming her fingers against the outer wall of a building, Allie walked through the market place in search of something to do.<p>

John had returned to Castle Redmont just last week, and the nine year old already missed him.

If she had some friends, she wouldn't have missed her brother so much, but that didn't seem possible; because of her mismatched eyes, most people in the village believed she was some sort of witch or demon.

Deep in her own misery, the child hadn't realized she was crossing in front of an alley until a sound startled her into stillness.

Allie had never heard anything so bone-chilling before, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood on-end.

It was the shriek of a wounded animal.

Moving down the side street before the noise had fully registered, she broke into a run when it reached her ears a second time.

Bumping into a few corners on unexpected turns, Allie felt like her heart was going to pound right through her ribcage.

She came upon the scene in a matter of seconds, stunned by the cacophony of screams.

The voices of at least three boys, too deep to be her age, yelled and shouted loud enough to start a headache behind her eyes at such close proximity.

The sound of wood hitting flesh became apparent next, as well as the angry hissing of a feline, and Allie realized what was happening.

Those boys were beating a defenseless cat.

Something like rage gripped her heart, a protective, primal force that made every muscle in her body tense like springs.

"Stop it!"

Everything went still for a long moment, and Allie clenched her fists to keep from swinging wildly at the cruel boys.

"Leave the kitty alone, you big meanies!"

Her head snapped towards the first one to speak, instinctively judging his height and where his face was in relation to her.

John had taught her to do that, even though it unnerved people when they found out she couldn't see.

"Well, if it isn't the village witch! Where's your bodyguard?"

Allie didn't reply, didn't even move; John had taught her to defend herself, but only if someone struck her first.

"I'll take care of her!"

Something heavy and wooden slammed into her side, and Allie let out a pained yelp before grabbing hold of the object and yanking hard.

The boy hadn't expected such a reaction and was thrown off-balance, right into Allie's carefully-placed elbow.

Blood spurted all over her arm, and Allie winced at the warm liquid as her assailant fell to the ground.

He howled in pain, most likely clutching the broken nose she had given him, and the other boys were silent.

A hoarse battle-cry warned of another attack, and she took this blow in the shoulder.

Grinding her teeth as it jarred her entire arm, Allie grabbed the weapon and shoved the other end where she thought the boy's face was.

The sound of breaking bone and a muffled cry showed that her calculations were correct.

There was no time to catch her breath; another stick of some kind caught Allie in the thigh, and the young girl whipped around to slam her fist in the offender's face.

Breathing heavily, she waited patiently for more before discovering that there had only been three boys in this little mob.

Stepping around the groaning bodies on the floor, Allie whispered soothingly to the hissing creature stuck in the corner.

"It's alright…It's alright, I'm not going to hurt you…"

Crouching a few feet from the cat despite the pain it caused in her thigh, Allie relaxed completely and held out a hand, palm down.

She stayed like that for a long time, and nearly jumped when a wet little nose sniffed warily at her fingers.

Allie didn't move a muscle until the cat purred, rubbing its head against her knuckles.

Running a hand along the feline's back as the creature pressed into her knees, Allie could feel the cuts and welts from the boys' beating and winced in sympathy.

"It's alright, kitty. I won't let anyone hurt you again."

Lifting the cat gingerly into her arms, she adjusted her grip for the wounded leg and slowly retraced her steps back to the market while soothing the poor creature.

Allie couldn't have known the reason those boys had beaten the poor cat was because of it's mismatched eyes, one blue and one purple…

* * *

><p>"Sweetie, why don't you give this to table nine?"<p>

Smiling brightly to soothe her mother's paranoid nerves, Allie took the tray carefully and breathed in the aroma of fresh stew.

"Okay, mom."

The taproom was full of customers, their drunken shouts ringing off the walls and making the kitchen, bustling as it was, seem silent in comparison.

Used to this by now, the twelve year old weaved through the crowds, the tray not tipping once.

A warm weight leapt up to her shoulder, and the cat she had saved three years ago purred against Allie's neck.

"Hey, Shadow. I'm looking for table nine."

It was as if the feline knew exactly what she had said; she meowed, low enough not to be heard but deeply enough to be felt, and Allie stopped on a dime.

Trusting Shadow to have led her to the right place, the blind girl put the tray down as the feline moved behind her neck; a signal that this was a stranger.

Turning her heard towards the sole occupant of the table, and hoping that her eyes didn't unnerve them, Allie smiled.

"I hope you enjoy it. Mom's stew is legendary."

There was a pause, and Allie guessed they had made some sort of gesture before realizing she couldn't see it.

"I'm sure I will."

The voice was gruff, but not unkind, and Allie found she liked this man just from hearing him.

Before she could say anything else, her father was shouting for her.

Spinning on her heel, Allie nodded her head in farewell to the stranger and headed towards the bar, side-stepping drunken singers with ease.

Jumping onto the bar, Shadow purposefully clicked her claws against the wood to lead Allie towards her father's specific location.

Once her hand landed on the smooth surface, Shadows climbed back up with a loving purr.

"Hey, Alex. Do you mind washing the tankards before the next rush?"

Suppressing a huff, Allie reasoned that there was no one else to do it, and nodded.

"Sure, dad…"


	2. Chapter 2

Excitement thrummed through Allie's veins like a wild forest song, and she couldn't keep a grin off her face, if John's chuckle was any indication.

"Relax, Allie. You'll fall off the horse if you keep bouncing like that."

Forcing herself to be still, the fourteen year old scratched apologetically behind Shadow's ears as the cat retracted its claws from her dress.

"I can't help it! I've never left home before!"

It was true; the only reason her parents had allowed their blind daughter on this trip to Redmont was because their trusted knight son was escorting her.

"I know, but if you bounce too much, Midnight here will buck you off."

Giggling at the thought of the placid battlehorse doing such a thing, Allie leaned forward to pat the strong neck.

"No he wouldn't, silly! Midnight's a sweetheart!"

John refrained from telling his petite sister that Midnight was actually one of the more ill-tempered battlehorses at Redmont and just agreed with her.

Allie kept her ears open for anything, drumming her fingers gently on Midnight's shoulders in her impatience.

The sounds of a busy village reached her before the sight of the strong walls reached John.

She had never heard such noise before, having lived in a much smaller village her entire life, but Allie found that she liked Redmont.

There were all sorts of new sounds and smells to discover, and she was excited to do just that.

* * *

><p>"You stay right here." John ordered, handing Midnight's reins to a stable hand.<p>

"I need to talk with Baron Arald before we can do anything, and you're not allowed to come with."

Resisting the urge to pout, Allie held her peace.

"So stay. If the guards see you anywhere near that castle, you'll be in trouble."

The girl nodded in agreement, and John's footsteps soon faded away towards the castle.

Allie waited at least ten heartbeats before following.

Shadow's warning hiss told of people when she got closer to the castle, and Allie immediately slipped to one side in order to hide from sight.

Bumping into a wall when she went a step too far, Allie winced at the contact and covertly followed the obstruction with her fingertips instead of going freehand.

Without someone there to give her a reference of the area, she would have to traverse Redmont by touch.

Reaching the edge of the last building, Allie waited until Shadow purred before stealing across the gap to a rough stone wall.

Taking short, shallow, soft breathes, the young girl followed this wall towards where she could hear John's voice.

He was most likely conversing with the guards, striking up conversation even after being allowed entry.

Keeping low, she kept her left shoulder to the wall as she made her way to the doorway John had entered through.

Shadow's deep, silent purring told her that the guards hadn't noticed her presence, so Allie slipped inside after him.

Instinct made her skirt silently to the right, seemingly out of sight, and she went still when John's footsteps suddenly stopped.

Shadow's claws pricked her shoulder, but Allie didn't even twitch at the discomfort as her heart pounded.

Had he seen her?

She couldn't tell, but she also couldn't tell if he was just humoring her or if she was hiding in a well-lit corner-

The footsteps continued, and Allie nearly released a thankful breath.

Mentally cursing her own nervousness, she followed John on silent feet, a skill she had acquired thanks to her acute hearing.

Shadow jumped quietly off her shoulder and walked just ahead of her, tail purposely brushing against Allie's outstretched fingers.

The feline was smart enough to know that staying out of sight and being inaudible were important.

Voices, muffled by wood and stone, soon caught Allie's attention, and she aimed for them.

Pausing as her other hand touched wood, she pressed her ear against it and heard John's voice along with one she didn't recognize.

Most likely the Baron, she thought.

Waiting for Shadow to climb up to her shoulder, Allie was ready to hunker down and eavesdrop when the cat hissed.

Immediately alert, she raised her head and strained her hearing, trying to hear whatever had upset Shadow.

The slightest of breaths, faint to most, and then-

Allie yelped when a hand grabbed her upper arm, hauling the little girl to her feet as Shadow hissed audibly.

"What do you have to say for yourself?"

The voice was gruff, with a slight accent she couldn't identify, and commanded respect while nagging at her memory.

"I…"

Allie took a moment to collect her wits, and Shadow's comforting weight on her other shoulder helped her along.

"I just wanted to know what John was doing…"

The man was silent for a long moment, and she steeled herself for a punishment.

"…We'll see what the Baron has to say about this."

Allie couldn't have known about the slightest smile the Ranger wore, hidden beneath his cloak.

After all, he had said much the same thing yesterday to frighten another youngster…

The office fell silent once Allie was led inside, and she hugged Shadow as the cat slid into her arms.

"…What, is 'stay here' part of some foreign language I'm not aware of?" John questioned.

She lowered her head in shame, though it lacked any true meaning without sight.

"…No…"

"How did you even get in?" Another voice (the Baron, Allie reminded herself) wondered.

"There are guards by every doorway."

"She slipped right by them in bright daylight." Her captor informed politely.

"Yeah, she does that…" John admitted.

Scuffing her boots on the wooden floor, Allie couldn't even find a smile when Shadow licked her nose and purred.

"I'm really sorry, sir…" She apologized.

"I know I shouldn't have, and I'll take any punishment you see fit. I swear."

There was a silence, and then John's voice:

"What do you think, Baron Arald?"

"She certainly has skill…Halt?"

So the mysterious man's name was 'Halt'; Allie would be sure to remember, just to have a name for the voice.

But the conversation was taking a strange turn, and she tilted her head in confusion.

Skill?, she thought.

Skill in what? Sneaking around?

She'd been doing that for years in order to get away from her overprotective mother.

Halt was silent, and she turned her head towards him, wondering what he was going to say.

"…I think we should tell her what you were discussing."

The Baron's voice had a note of humor in it now.

"Of course, that would be best. Come here, little one."

Allie bristled at the nickname, though she had sensed no malice.

The little red-haired girl was rather sensitive about her height and blindness, and any mention of either could set off her temper.

Repressing her irrational anger, Allie stepped forward, reaching her hand forward until she touched the arm of a chair.

Sitting down, the young girl looked up towards where she calculated Baron Arald's face was when he spoke.

"You see, Halt here has been keeping an eye on you for a couple of years now. He saw you in that inn and thought you had some promise."

Her nose scrunched up in thought, and then Allie remembered where she had heard Halt's voice before; she never forgot a voice.

"We've talked with your parents, and after some persuasion…"

Something like hope was filling her heart, and John's voice delivered the important message.

"Mom and dad agreed to let you become an apprentice Ranger under Halt."


	3. Chapter 3

Allie was fairly certain that everyone she knew had temporarily lost their minds.

"What?"

"Halt thinks that you have the skills needed to become a Ranger, and wants-well, decided to mentor you."

"But I'm…"

She refused to remind anyone of her handicap; everything she did was to make people forget.

"I wouldn't be offering if I didn't think you could do it."

For a reason Allie couldn't quite fathom, Halt's words made her feel warm inside, like her hope was burning in her chest.

"Really?"

There was a pause, and from John's good-natured chuckle, Halt had most likely rolled his eyes.

"Sure. Now are you coming or not? I need to check on my other apprentice."

"Yes!" She answered immediately, barely keeping herself from bouncing in excitement.

Despite what the red-haired girl had heard about Rangers, about them being dark wizards and magicians, she wanted to become one.

She was already considered a witch, anyway.

"Then come on. And be quick about it."

Allie hopped to her feet, allowing Shadow to climb up onto her shoulder before hugging John.

The young knight embraced her back…

And was caught off-guard when she punched him in the gut.

"Don't you ever trick me like that again!" The young teen warned, though her tone was a happy mix of mock-anger and gratitude.

Grinning despite himself, John ruffled her blood-red curls affectionately.

"Love you too, Allie."

* * *

><p>The sounds of Castle Redmont and its neighboring village faded the further they walked, and Allie marveled at the kind of silence nature could have in comparison.<p>

It certainly made following Halt easier, though only just; the Ranger could walk even more soundlessly than she could, and his breathing was only just loud enough for her acute hearing to catch.

"Halt?"

The new voice startled her, and Allie realized they had arrived at the little cottage without her noticing.

A pause told her that Halt had most likely rolled his eyes again.

"Yes?"

"Who's this?"

"My other new apprentice."

"My name's Alexandra." She offered, careful to keep from looking at where she guessed the boy's face was.

It wouldn't do to frighten him so soon…

"Oh."

"You'll be learning to work together. She can't do some things by herself."

"Why?"

Allie scuffed her boot on the grass, head bowed, as Shadow purred comfortingly into her neck.

"Because she's blind."

There was a long silence, and Allie instinctively held her breath, ready for the awkward apologies and avoidance that always followed the reveal of her handicap…

A warm hand enveloped her own in a friendly grip, and she nearly jumped in surprise.

"It's alright. I'll help you."

She couldn't help the smile that broke across her face as she nodded, allowing Will to lead her towards the cottage.

Neither of them could have noticed the slightest smile that Halt allowed himself to show, deep in the shadows of his hood…

* * *

><p>If Allie had expected Halt to go easy on her because she was a girl, she was sorely mistaken.<p>

Though she couldn't learn to draw charts or read maps, the red-haired girl was immediately put to work lugging water from the stream, sweeping the floor, cooking…

Years of helping her parents run an inn were finally coming in handy.

Pushing Shadow's inquisitive nose away from the eggs she was frying, Allie giggled at the feline's annoyed meow.

Though the sun had yet to rise over the horizon (she would have felt the warmth of its rays through the windows), she had been warned by Halt to start breakfast earlier than usual.

Carefully stirring the coffee with one hand, Allie flipped an egg on the pan as Shadow walked into the room she shared with Will in order to wake the boy up.

"Three…Two…One-."

"AH!"

Stifling a grin at the sound of someone falling onto the floor, Allie hummed to herself as Shadow purred and rubbed against her shins a few moments later.

"Good kitty."

* * *

><p>"Time you learned about the weapons you'll be using."<p>

Even in her excitement, Allie was careful not to forget the lessons Halt had been drilling into them for the last half hour on unseen movement.

Her inability to tell where shadows were, or tell how they moved, made it more difficult for her.

Will was quick to help her though, and had taken to holding her wrist whenever doing fieldcraft in order to show her the right way.

They stopped, and when Allie's questing left hand didn't find the rough bark of trees, she guessed they were in some sort of clearing.

Something was dropped gently onto the grass, and Will's voice was slightly disbelieving.

"What sort of weapons? Do we have swords?"

"A Ranger's principal weapons are stealth and silence and his, or her, ability to avoid being seen." Halt replied, tone impassive.

"But if they fail, then you may have to fight."

"So then we have a sword?"

Allie's elbow found Will's ribs, and he gasped at the sharp pain before shutting his mouth.

He had learned that retaliating when it came to the little blind redhead only resulted in bruises…

"No. Then we have a bow." Halt answered, a hint of amusement in his voice.

Carefully taking the bow with her left hand, Allie tested the weight and feel of the wood as Will released her wrist.

Running her right hand over the unfamiliar curves at both ends, her brow furrowed in confusion.

"It doesn't feel like a longbow…"

"It's called a recurve bow." Halt explained.

"Neither of you are strong enough to handle a full longbow yet, so the double curve will give you extra arrow speed and power, with a lower draw weight. I learned how to make one from the Temujai."

"Who are the Temujai?" Will questioned.

The boy never seemed to run out of questions…

"Fierce fighting men from the east, and probably the world's finest archers."

"You fought against them?" Allie wondered, interested.

"Against them…and with them for a time." The Ranger admitted.

"Stop asking so many questions."

Will was silent for a long moment, most likely studying his own recurve bow, as Allie gingerly tested the bowstring.

"Can I shoot it?"

"If you feel that's a good idea, go ahead."

Sensing something in Halt's tone, Allie hesitated to follow her fellow apprentice's example.

From the solid 'WHACK' and yell of pain, it had been a good idea not to.

"That hurt!"

"Duh."

Allie could only guess that Will was glaring at her, and stuck her tongue out at the boy.

"You're always in a hurry, youngster." Halt warned.

"That may teach you to wait a little next time, like Alex."

The red-haired girl beamed at the indirect praise, ignoring Will's put-out muttering.

Halt put a long, stiff leather cuff on her left forearm, which she guessed was to protect against the bowstring.

Shadow came down to sniff at this new accessory curiously, and Allie scratched behind the cat's ears affectionately.

"Now try it again."

Crouching next to the dropped bundle, Allie gingerly selected an arrow, sensitive fingertips identifying which end was which as she stood.

She had never used a bow before, mainly because of her mother's paranoia that she would somehow shoot herself rather than her blindness.

Halt showed her how to clip the nock of the arrow to the bowstring, and how to let the string rest on the first knuckle of her pointer, middle, and ring fingers.

Once she had the arrow resting between the pointer and middle fingers, Allie felt much more confident about the whole thing.

"When you draw, use your back muscles, not just your arms. Feel as if you're pushing your shoulder blades together…"

Though it was still difficult, mainly because those muscles had never really been used before, Allie was able to get the recurve bow to full draw.

When she released, the sound of the metal tip 'THUMP'ing into wood made her feel ridiculously happy.

"Not bad." Halt admitted, tone neutral.

As she calmed Shadow, who had been startled by the display, the Ranger showed Will to do the same.

"You need to practice. Put it down for now, both of you."

Setting the recurve bow on the ground, Allie allowed Will to take her wrist and lead her back towards the mysterious bundle.

"These are a Ranger's knives."

Taking the double scabbard, Allie ran her hands over the hilts of both knives, a small one set on top of a larger blade.

The hilts felt like leather disks set one above the other, and she fingered the brass crosspiece and pommel of the topmost knife curiously.

"Take it out." Halt suggested.

"Do it carefully."

Not wanting to cut herself, Allie took the Ranger's advice and did so carefully, the fingers of her right hand tracing the strange widening and tapering blade.

"It's for throwing. The extra width at the tip balances the weight of the hilt. And the combined weight of the two helps drive the knife home when you throw it. Watch."

All she heard was the swift sound of a knife being unsheathed, and then a solid 'THOCK' as it struck wood.

"WHOA…"

"How do you learn to do that?" Will asked, eager to learn now.

"Practice."

Figuring that Halt was probably right (John had always told her that there was no shortcut to learning how to do things well), Allie sheathed the throwing knife and pulled free the larger blade.

Her fingers followed the straight, heavy blade to the tip, feeling the slope that meant it was more wedge-shaped than the other, with a thick, blunt side and a razor-sharp edge on the other.

"This is in case your enemy gets to close quarters." Halt explained.

"Although if you're any sort of archer, he never will. It's balanced for throwing, but you can also block a sword stroke with that blade. It's made by the finest steelsmiths in the kingdom. Look after it and keep it sharp."

"I will." Will promised, tone somewhat reverent.

Slipping the blade away, Allie nodded in agreement.

"Me, too."

"It's similar to what the Skandians call a saxe knife."

There was a beat of silence, and their confused expressions seemed to prompt an explanation from their mentor.

"It's both weapon and tool-a sea ax, originally. But over the years the words sort of slid together to become saxe. Mind you, the quality of the steel in ours is a long way superior to the Skandian ones."

Allie had no doubt about that, despite being unable to see the blade in question; the saxe knife would have to be much sturdier in order to take the abuse of a Ranger's life.

Once Halt showed Will how to strap the scabbard to his belt, the older boy helped Allie do the same, and her hand fell easily to the hilt now.

"Now all you have to do is learn to use them. And you know what that means, don't you?"

Allie was fairly sure a similar grin was on Will's face as they answered Halt's question at the same time:

"A lot of practice."


	4. Chapter 4

Ever since John had begun to teach her self-defense, Allie had known that fighting, or practicing to fight, was hard to do while in a dress.

It seemed that Halt had anticipated this problem.

* * *

><p>Sipping at her morning coffee, Allie slumped contently in her seat as Shadow curled up on her lap in a purring ball.<p>

Ever since they had started training underneath Halt, both Will and Allie had become rather dependent on the drink.

Raising her head when Halt put his mug down harder than usual, Allie waited for him to speak.

Whenever the Ranger made an audible noise, it was a sign that he wanted her attention.

"We're going to the village today."

"Why?" She wondered, curious.

Allie had only ridden through Wensley Village once in her time at Redmont, and only briefly, so she could not think of any reason why they would need to go there.

A quick cuff upside the head told her not to ask questions.

Pouting despite herself, Allie rubbed at the back of her head and finished her honey-coated coffee in one gulp.

"Grumpy…"

Another cuff, this time on the side of her head, and Allie jerked away from the contact as Will snickered.

Half-smiling at the yelp Will let out when she kicked him in the shin, Allie slipped out of her seat as Shadow clambered onto her shoulders.

"Come on." Halt ordered, already done with his coffee and grabbing his cloak by the door.

Allie was quick to follow, self-preservation winning over curiosity.

"Work on those charts." Halt ordered, and Will's grumbles came through the doorway just before it was shut.

Hopping down to the grass, Allie practically skipped after the gruff Ranger, making minimal noise along the way.

Fighting down a grin at the thought of what people would think after seeing the mysterious Ranger with a peppy little girl, Allie put a bit more bounce into her steps.

"Skip one more step, and we'll see how easy it is to skip without feet."

Immediately stopping, Allie reined herself in to a subdued walk, most likely looking like a kicked puppy.

Halt sighed, exasperated, and she pouted for added effect.

"I should have listened to Crowley and stuck with male apprentices…"

"What's the fun in taking the easy way?"

Side-stepping another cuff upside the head, Allie giggled at her victory before a second blow landed on the side of her head instead.

Halt was definitely enjoying this, she just _knew_ it…

"We're picking something up from a friend of mine."

Pausing in the assessment of the 'damage', Allie looked up at Halt with what was no doubt an owlish expression.

"She suggested it for you, so don't go treating her like you do me."

Allie would have argued that she was perfectly polite to her mentor, but decided that she had enough brain damage for one day…

* * *

><p>The bell of a shop door rang over their heads, and Allie flinched downward at the sound.<p>

Everything was so loud compared to the cottage…

"There you are, Halt."

The voice was female and gentle, very dignified, a voice that could calm a thunderstorm.

"Lady Pauline." Halt greeted, losing a bit of his gruffness.

"And I take it this is your other apprentice?"

Allie was unable to tell if Halt responded in some nonverbal way, so she answered after some hesitation.

"Yes, ma'am. If you don't mind my asking, why exactly are we here?"

Halt's raised brow was like a physical force, and Allie seemed to shrink underneath it.

"You never told me…I'm just wondering…"

"Don't be so harsh with her, Halt." Lady Pauline scolded playfully, taking hold of the red-haired girl's hand gently.

"You see, I'm good friends with your brother, and he told me you didn't have anything suitable to wear."

The older woman led Allie along, further into the store, and the teen only paused long enough to grab hold of Halt's hand.

Though the Ranger likely had a million other places he would probably rather be, she needed his support.

"My friend Delilah is a tailor, and she has some things that would suit a Ranger. Don't you think, Halt?"

From Halt's grunt alone, Allie knew he was contemplating whether it was worth the consequences to cut her hand off and make a break for it…

"Why don't we get some of these outfits fitted while Halt's getting some supplies?"

Getting the message, and knowing she couldn't force the Ranger to stay anymore than she could stop the wind from blowing, Allie nodded and reluctantly let go.

Shadow purred to comfort her, and Lady Pauline squeezed the teen's hand reassuringly.

"Come on, or Halt will buy so much coffee you'll need a battlehorse to get it back."

Giggling at the truth in that joke, she now followed Lady Pauline without a hint of hesitation, completely at ease.

* * *

><p>Brushing out the wrinkles in her new outfit, Allie shifted minutely as Shadow jumped onto her shoulders again.<p>

Most of the things Delilah had offered were long tunics, down to her thighs or knees, with leggings or tights that were comfortable enough for Allie to achieve a high kick without discomfort.

After a few cartwheels and kicks, she was pleased with the material's durability and grinned.

"It's perfect, Lady Pauline! Thank you so much!"

Pinpointing the diplomat's whereabouts instinctively, she hugged Lady Pauline gratefully.

"I'm glad."

Allie went still at the familiar almost-silent breathing, her grin widening.

"Halt! You're back!"

The Ranger paused, startled that she had sensed him and hiding it well.

He had to admit that the clothes were much more practical than the dresses Allie had been wearing; they were muted grays and greens that matched a Ranger's cloak, and seemed much more comfortable.

Allie hopped up to her mentor, Shadow as balanced on her shoulder as a Skandian on a wolfship, pleased with the day's rewards.

"Can we go home now? I want to show Will!"

"We might as well."

Collecting the bundle of new clothes into her arms, Allie bounced excitedly on the balls of her feet, waiting for Halt to say his goodbyes.

Shadow batted her nose, and the red-haired girl pouted at the cat perched on her shoulder.

"Kill-joy…"


	5. Chapter 5

Everything was quiet, as if the entire world was trying to hold it's breath-

THOCK!

THOCK!

Keeping her breathing even, Allie nocked another arrow and waited patiently for the familiar 'THOCK' before firing again.

It had been Will's idea for her to use his own arrows as a reference, and they had experimented with millions of systems to help Will correct her aim.

Needless to say, not all of them were particularly safe for unlucky woodland creatures in the area…

Shadow's fur tickled her neck as it rose, and Allie hesitated to pull on the bowstring.

Will's hand pushed down gently on her wrist, and she understood.

It was time for Halt to assess their progress.

…

"Not bad at all. Your shooting is definitely improving."

Allie fought down a grin, happy that she had somehow made Halt proud…

"With more practice-a lot more practice-you might even achieve mediocrity."

And there he went, taking the praise back again…

"That's enough shooting for now. Let's go."

"Where are we going?" Will asked, taking Allie's wrist and urging her into a half-run to catch up with their mentor.

"Why does this boy ask so many questions?"

Allie was certain that Halt wasn't talking to them…

Well, pretty sure…

Shadow, who had been lounging on her shoulders like a housecat on a windowsill, flicked her tail against the girl's cheek in warning.

Will stopped a minute later, and Allie waited for whatever Halt had planned for them.

"Hullo, Old Bob!"

Allie's head snapped toward the sound of footsteps, and she ran a soothing hand over Shadow's back as the feline hissed warily.

The next thing she noticed was the _smell_, and it took all of her willpower to keep from covering her sensitive nose.

It would be unbelievably rude (John had warned her to always be polite, no matter who she was talking to), and would do nothing to filter out the smell of dirty stable.

"Morning to you, Ranger! Who's this you've brung to see me?"

The voice was jovial and a bit rough around the edges, but likeable all the same, and Allie managed a smile.

"This is Will and Alex, my new apprentices." Halt introduced.

"Will, Alex, this is Old Bob."

"Good morning, sir." Will greeted politely.

"Hello, sir."

Allie voiced a moment later, tone just as courteous.

Old Bob cackled, clearly amused, and it made Allie's smile more natural in response.

"Calls me sir! Hear that, Ranger, they call me sir! Make fine Rangers, these two will!"

Halt grunted impatiently, meaning that Allie wouldn't have long to be warmed by the praise given by this strange old man.

"Are they ready?"

Another cackle, and Allie had nearly forgotten about the smell.

"Ready they are indeed! Step this way and see them!"

Will pulled her along after Old Bob and Halt until her other hand touched the rough wood of a fence.

A piercing whistle startled her, and Shadow's claws dug into the girl's shoulder in reaction.

At least she hadn't been the only one to jump…

"There they are, see?"

The urge to make a smartass comment was strong, but she held it in check.

Old Bob was nice, and she didn't want to make him feel awkward.

If that was even possible…

Hoofbeats thumped against the grass, and she leaned farther into the fence, eager to touch.

Her mother's paranoia had kept her from ever learning how to ride, or even care for, horses, though Allie often went to the inn's stable anyway.

"This 'un's called Tug, and this 'un's Storm. They look about your sizes, don't they?"

A rope bridle was pressed into her palm, so she took firm hold of it and cautiously placed her other hand where she guessed the pony's nose was.

The pony made a soft sound, bumping against her nervous fingers gently.

Smiling now, Allie ran her hand over the pony's forelock, feeling the shaggy coat as she fondled the ears.

Appreciating the attention, Storm pressed closer, allowing Allie to feel the strong neck under the ragged mane and the barrel-shaped chest.

"Well, what do you think of them?" Halt questioned.

"I love her!" Allie replied immediately, cooing lovingly to the young mare and giggling as she was nuzzled affectionately in return.

"He's sort of…small." Will admitted.

"So are you." The Ranger replied easily, and it seemed Will had nothing to say in reply.

A wheezing laugh from Old Bob showed his pride and amusement.

"He ain't no battlehorse, are he, boy?"

"Well…no, he isn't."

"But he'll run any of those fine fancy-looking battlehorses into the ground, him and Storm! They're strong 'un's, they are. They'll keep going all day, long after them fancy horses have laid down and died."

"I'm sure he will." Will replied noncommittally.

Considering her lack of knowledge on horses, Allie was happy to believe Old Bob as Shadow and Storm sniffed noses next to her cheek.

"You would, wouldn't you? Those big ol' brutes wouldn't stand a chance."

Storm neighed gently in agreement, causing her smile to grow.

"Why don't you see? You're fast on your feet. Turn him loose and see if you can capture him again."

There was a challenging note in Halt's voice, and Allie knew Will would not refuse.

Storm snorted, as if the thought that Will catching Tug was just ridiculous, and Allie hid a grin in the mare's neck.

Listening intently as the boy slipped under the fence and walked towards the pony further inside the paddock, Allie turned to sit on the fence while still holding onto Storm's bridle.

Shadow was happy enough to curl up on her lap as Will's attempts to capture Tug failed time and again.

Allie should have known Storm would try something.

The mare pulled back suddenly, and the girl yelped as she toppled backwards into the paddock.

"…_Ow_…"

Storm seemed to laugh, and Shadow hissed in annoyance at her nap being disturbed.

Pushing herself up, Allie got to her feet and turned to grab the pony's bridle.

With a playful whinny, Storm moved away, hooves tapping a light rhythm on the grass as she circled, just out of reach.

Brow furrowing in thought, Allie drummed her fingers thoughtfully on the fence.

She would never be able to catch Storm, blind or not; if the mare was even half as evasive as Tug, it would be a waste of time.

Shadow jumped off her shoulder, and Allie turned to find where the feline had gone.

Stepping closer to the fence and reaching out a hand, she felt around for familiar fur-

And found the smooth skin of an apple.

Curling her fingers around the fruit, a sly grin crossed her face as Shadow jumped back onto her shoulders.

"Good kitty."

Turning back to face Storm, she held out the apple, clicking her tongue softly.

"Come on, girl. Don't you want a juicy apple?"

When she heard a crunch, Allie took hold of the bridle again, grin softening.

"There you are, silly."

"Well thought out." Halt admitted.

"Clever ones, them! Clever and polite!" Old Bob voiced, most likely grinning.

"That 'un'll make a good team with Tug, won't he? And I've never seen Storm come so quick!"

Cheeks heating up at the praise, Allie hid her face in Storm's neck, feeling the mare's neigh more than hearing it.

"Why do you call him Tug?" Will wondered.

There was a sharp yelp from him, and Allie snorted in mirth as she guessed what had happened, Old Bob's laugh ringing off the trees.

"See if you can guess!"

It was infectious, and Allie giggled as she pat Storm's side.

"Take them over to the lean-to and Bob can show you how to groom them and look after their tack." Halt ordered.

"We'll stay with you tonight, Bob, if that's not inconvenient?"

"I'll be glad of the company, Ranger. Sometimes I spend so much time with the horses that I start to think I'm one myself."

The crunching of an apple being chewed soon followed…

"We might be just in time." Halt observed dryly.

"Then, tomorrow, we'll see if Will and Alex can ride the horses as well as catch them."

Excitement hit Allie's blood like the wild beating of a drum, and she barely contained the impulse to bounce in place like a child.

The feeling was so great that she didn't even mind having to sleep in the barn with Will and the horses, ignoring the straw in her hair as she anticipated the next day.

Neither apprentice got much sleep that night.

* * *

><p>"Walk them around a little."<p>

Allie stepped away, pulling on the halter, and Storm trotted after her easily.

Tug, it seemed, wasn't going to make it that easy for Will…

"He be stronger than you!" Old Bob noted, clearly enjoying himself.

There were a few more minutes of struggle, and Halt seemed to decide it was time to help his apprentice a little.

"Don't look at him. Just take the rope and walk away from him. He'll follow."

Tug's rhythmic trot soon matched with Storm's, and the mare tossed her head in what Allie could only guess was amusement.

"Saddle them up."

Will took her free hand and led her to where the saddles were hung, and she hefted the closest one onto Storm's back after looping her reins around a fence post.

"Pull them good and tight!" Old Bob warned, and Allie was sure to follow his advice, securing the girth straps comfortably.

"Can I ride him now?" Will questioned, clearly eager.

"…If you feel that's a good idea, go ahead."

Warning bells rang in the back of Allie's mind, and she hesitated as Will swung himself up onto Tug's back.

"Get up!"

There was a moment of ominous silence, and then the sound of a body hitting the ground that made Allie wince in sympathy.

She remembered the same happening to her only a few years ago, when John had tried to teach her how to ride a battlehorse and accidentally smacked the horse's hindquarters.

It had ended with her being thrown from the horse's back and into a thorn bush.

Yeah, not a good day…

Old Bob was still laughing when Will managed to lever himself up.

"What did I do wrong?"

Allie heard Halt walk up to the unmoving Tug, and then to Will, most likely to give him hold of the bridle.

"Nothing, if this were an ordinary horse. But Tug and Storm have been trained as Ranger horses-"

"What's the difference?"

Will's angry outburst was met with Allie's elbow in his ribs, and he did not dare even mutter under his breath.

"The difference is, each Ranger horse has to be asked before a rider mounts him for the first time." Halt explained, hiding his amusement.

"They're trained that way so that they can never be stolen."

"I've never heard of such a thing!" Will admitted.

"Not too many folk have." Old Bob piped up.

"That's why Ranger horses never get stolen."

"Well, what do you say to a Ranger horse before you him?"

He probably flinched when Allie raised her elbow.

"Or her?"

"It varies from horse to horse. Each one responds to a different request. My horse, for example, responds to the words permettez moi."

"Permettez moi?" Will parroted.

"What sort of words are they?"

"They're Gallic. They mean, 'Will you allow me?' His parents came from Gallica, you see." Halt informed.

"What are the words for Tug here, Bob?"

Old Bob was silent for a long moment, most likely to make Will worry.

"Oh, yes, I recall! This 'un here, he needs to be asked 'Do you mind?' afore you get on his back. And Storm needs to be asked 'May I?'"

"Do you mind?" Will echoed as Allie nodded in understanding.

"Don't say it to me, youngster! Say it in the horse's ear!"

Sensing Will's hesitation, Allie decided to take the plunge this time, standing on the balls of her feet to reach Storm's ear.

"May I?"

The pony whinnied softly, and the red-haired girl put a foot in the stirrup to swing herself up.

Getting used to the change in altitude as Shadow clung more tightly to her shoulders, Allie tightened her hold on the reins, suddenly nervous.

"Halt?"

A grunt showed she had his attention, and she tried to hide her unease.

"How am I supposed to steer her if I can't see?"

There was silence, and then…

"Storm will take care of you. Trust her."

"…"

Trusting that her mentor would not lie to her, Allie nodded, tapping her heels into Storm's ribs softly.

The mare started at an easy walk, allowing her rider to get used to the rhythm as Tug moved ahead.

Once sure of her ability to not fall off, Allie tapped with her heels again to urge Storm into a trot.

Smiling as she grew used to the rhythm, Allie tilted her head when the sound of a gate being swung open on rusty hinges reached her ears.

"Take them out, and see what they can really do!"

Storm aimed herself towards the gate, and Shadow hissed, claws pricking her skin in preparation.

Taking this as a sign that they were in the open, Allie gave one last tap and tightened her hold on the reins.

She felt Storm's muscular little body bunch up beneath her, the calm before the storm, and then they were off at a gallop.

Instinct had her leaning over the pony's neck, deafened by the rushing wind and heart pounding in excited fear as Storm moved at an even faster pace.

The pounding of her hooves on the grass soon became background noise, and she could hear Tug's galloping hoofbeats only a few meters to her left.

Feeling the sharp turn, Allie braced herself as Shadow wrapped herself around the redhead's neck.

Trying to get her heartbeat under control, she pulled gently on the reins, slowing Storm down to a canter, a trot, and finally a walk.

Shadow's hiss had her put the final bit of pressure that brought the little pony to a standstill, and she grinned as Storm whinnied happily, patting the shaggy neck.

"He's as fast as the wind!" Will complimented, most likely grinning.

"That was amazing!" Allie agreed.

"She's faster than a thunderclap!"

"Perhaps not quite as fast as all that." Halt replied.

"But they can certainly cover ground. You've done well with them, Bob."

Storm huffed gently, most likely leaning into her trainer's touch.

"They'll keep that pace all day. Run them fat battlehorses into the ground, these 'un's will. You youngsters ride them well, too, Ranger, don't they?"

"Not too badly." Halt conceded.

"Not too badly? You're a hard man, Ranger! Youngster sat him light as a feather through that jump, and the little one looked like she's been riding all her life!"

Her face was heating up again at the praise, and Shadow rubbed against her face with a strange half-purr that sounded suspiciously like laughter…

"And they don't saw away at them reins like some do, neither. Got a light touch with a horse's soft mouth, they 'as."

…

"Is there anything I should say to him before I get off?" Will worried.

Old Bob's laugh was reassuring.

"No, youngster. Once said and young Tug here will remember-as long as it's you who's riding him."

Now sure that she would get kicked, Allie slipped off the saddle, patting Storm's head as the pony nudged her.

"Can I give him another apple?" Will asked.

"Just one more, but don't go making a habit of it. They'll be too fat to run if you feed them all the time."

Tug and Storm snorted at the remark, most likely disagreeing with Halt on how many apples a pony should have in a day.

The rest of that day was spent being taught how to care for little Storm, which was quite a trial for Allie at first.

Running a brush through the mare's coat, Allie fondled Storm's nose as Shadow napped on the little horse's back.

She had just finished as Will dropped onto a hay bale, arms aching, when Halt walked in.

"Come along. No time to be lolling around doing nothing. We'd best get moving if we're to be home before dark."

Coaxing Shadow back onto her shoulder, Allie couldn't help grinning at the thought that Storm was going to be a permanent part of her life.

This took away any annoyance she might have felt towards her mentor as she saddled the mare and swung onto her back as lightly as a monkey alighting on a branch.

The ride back towards the little cottage was rather quiet; a sign that Will was holding in a question.

"Halt?"

The Ranger's grunt seemed like confirmation enough for the boy.

"What's your horse's name?"

"…I believe it's Abelard."

"Abelard? What kind of name is that?"

"It's Gallic."

Allie's elbow met Will's ribs once more, and he decided that asking questions like that in the future was not a wise idea.

Silence again, and then…

"Halt?"

Both Halt and Allie sighed.

"What now?" Halt demanded, tone anything but friendly.

"Remember you told me how a Ranger was responsible for Morgarath's defeat?"

"Mmmm."

"Well, I was just wondering, what was the Ranger's name?"

"Names aren't important. I really can't remember."

Shadow's fur bristled against Allie's neck, though only slightly; Halt didn't want to say.

"Was it you?"

"…I said names aren't important."

…

"Do you know what is important?"

Allie shrugged, and Will most likely copied her movements.

"Supper is important! And we'll be late for it if we don't hurry."

Abelard's hoofbeats faded away at a rapid pace, so Allie urged Storm into a gallop after her mentor, Tug quick to join them with Will.

This was definitely the way to live…


	6. Chapter 6

Wensley Village on Harvest Day was like a busy day back at the inn: chaotic.

There was something going on around every corner; laughing, shouting, playing, talking.

Everything was so new to her (the villagers had never allowed her near any of their own festivals, thinking she was some kind o bad luck charm), and Allie wanted to experience all of it.

Lounging across her lap, Shadow's twitching ears brushed the sensitive skin of Allie's inner arm as she searched for John.

Storm trotted through the bedlam calmly, ears most likely alert of all the people as they passed.

Excited to spend a day with her older brother, Allie waited impatiently for Shadow or Storm to signal his approach.

Patting the pony's shaggy neck as the laughter of children flowed around it's sturdy legs, the girl smiled as the smell of freshly-baked sweets wafted up to her.

Allie would happily admit that she loved her new life in Redmont more than her old life at her parent's inn.

It was not that she didn't love her parents (they had always been compassionate and sweet, if overprotective), but that she had always been lonely.

Storm jostled Allie out of her thoughts with a slight quickening of pace, and the red-haired girl smiled.

Most likely, the little pony had spotted an apple tree.

When Storm came to a halt, Allie reached out with her right hand until the rough bark of a tree met her palm.

The neigh that rumbled up from the mare's barrel-shaped chest was practically a beg, and she could never say no to Storm.

"Alright, but just one!" She warned, dislodging Shadow from her lap.

"You know how Halt gets when he catches me feeding you apples."

The snort Storm answered with showed her continued disagreement with Halt's orders, and Allie's smile widened as she stood up in the stirrups.

Using the trunk for balance, she reached up with the other hand in search of a branch or low-hanging fruit.

Just as she grasped an apple and was about to yank, Storm went unnaturally still beneath her.

Pausing, Allie wondered what had caught the pony's attention so thoroughly-

Storm reared suddenly, catching Allie by surprise as she immediately dropped back into the saddle and held onto the pommel with a death-grip.

Someone was cursing as they stumbled away, and two more people yelped as Storm's hooves flailed threateningly.

"Steady, Storm!" Allie soothed, voice shaking slightly from the sudden rush of adrenaline as Shadow's claws drew blood along her shoulders.

The little pony settled in a moment, though she tossed her head and snorted in contempt at whoever had tried to approach.

"What's up with that shaggy old dog of yours?" A boy demanded, the deepness showing that he was barely older than her.

"Excuse me?"

Allie's tone was like thunder, ominous and dark in outrage.

Of the four things that infallibly set off her temper, that was the freshest, and she was not about to let such an offense go unpunished.

"You heard me, girlie!"

"Yeah, you heard him!"

Allie paused, noticing the constant thrum of Shadow's hissing against her neck as the first voice registered with her memory.

"Alda?"

There was a beat of silence, and then…

"Don't tell me…"

His laugh had a sharp edge that made Allie tense, a coiled spring, as Storm pawed the ground in warning.

"You're the little witch-girl! I should have known!"

Old wounds were being reopened, but she refused to let the bigger boy know.

"You haven't changed a bit. Still picking on defenseless cats?"

Shadow hissed in agreement, claws out and ready; cats have long memories, and she had not forgotten what Alda had done to her, and then Allie, all of those years ago.

"You little-!"

Storm went ominously still again, a warning not to get any closer.

Alda took the threat for what it was, since the pony refrained from attacking a second time.

"What about you?" He blustered, most likely trying to regain his old edge.

"Still cursing innocent people?"

That was a low blow, reminding her of bad memories on what was meant to be a happy day, and Allie bit her tongue to keep from swearing at him.

It wouldn't do any good, anyway.

"Just leave me alone, Alda. I don't feel like dealing with you _or_ your 'friends'."

The boy seemed to have regained his former confidence now, a harsh laugh in his voice.

"What are you going to do if I _don't_, witch-girl? If you haven't noticed, there's three of us and only _one_ of you."

"I managed well enough before." Allie replied, trying to regain some calm.

"The only difference is that I'll be finished with you more quickly."

He didn't say anything for a long moment, and Allie feared Shadow would explode from the tension any moment…

"What's going on here?"

John's voice cut through the air like a whip, shattering the tense silence as if it were merely fragile glass.

"S-Sir John!"

"H-Hello, sir!"

"Good day, Sir John. We were just making sure she was alright."

Alda's voice was the only one that could pass for calm, a mischievous fox playing tricks on a wolf.

"Thanks for the concern." Allie voiced contemptuously, running a hand over Shadow's back to soothe the agitated hissing down to its usual inaudible rumble.

"I appreciate the effort, cadets, but I can take it from here."

Something cold gripped her heart.

_Cadets? They're in Battleschool?_

That thought was more frightening than the prospect of a coffee-deprived Halt, and _that_ was scary!

"Allie?"

Fighting down the involuntary 'fight or flight' reflex, she managed a believable smile.

"I'm alright, John. Just thinking."

"A dangerous pastime." John teased, hoping to lighten the mood and erase the troubles from her mind.

_A noble effort_, Allie admitted silently to herself, _but not something that can be easily done_.

But she couldn't bring herself to say so, not to the brother that had always tried to protect her, and just smiled.

"Maybe for silly knights, but not for a Ranger!"

"A Ranger, are you?"

Keeping her smile from growing, Allie bounced lightly in the saddle as they slipped back into the old game.

It always started this way; John would tease, she would retort, and everything would dissolve into a wild game of tag that Allie hadn't lost in years.

Storm sensed her rider's growing excitement and tensed, ready for a playful chase like the kind she and Tug did when they wanted more apples from their owners.

"We'll see how much of a Ranger you are when I get a hold of you!"

Reacting immediately to the pressure on her ribs, Storm shot away like an arrow, neighing impishly as John's battlehorse, Midnight, tried to keep up.

As he tried to catch up to the light-footed little pony, John couldn't help grinning at the smile of pure, unadulterated _joy_ that was on his younger sister's face.

Sometimes, it was worth a little dignity to see that…

* * *

><p>Allie was breathless from laughter two hours later, though Storm trotted along as if she were fresh out of the stable.<p>

Fondling Shadow's ears gently, the red-haired girl smiled at the sleepy purr she earned as the cat curled up against her stomach, shielded from the sun by Allie's Ranger cloak.

Midnight had been run ragged within the first hour, poor thing; he couldn't keep up with Storm's swift trotting pace, let alone the pony's ground-eating gallop.

While waiting for John to return, most likely on foot, Allie was exploring the rest of the Harvest Day festival, taking in all of the sounds and smells.

It wasn't until Storm reached the edge of the festivities that things took a turn for the worse…

Dismounting the shaggy little pony, Allie stretched out her back with a tired sigh, relaxing as Shadow took her customary place on the girl's shoulder.

She was alerted to danger when the laughter of children nearby suddenly cut off.

Turning towards where she had heard them, Allie wondered what had happened when something heavy and sharp smacked into her forehead.

The force made her yelp, and she pressed a hand to her forehead as blood gushed out of the wound.

Disoriented from the blow, she winced as the warm liquid oozed through her fingers, stinging her eye on its way down her face.

Storm snorted in surprise, jerking against Allie's grip on the bridle, and Shadow hissed angrily against the girl's neck.

"Not so tough now, are you witch-girl?"

"Yeah, not so tough now, are ya?"

Another projectile struck her in the shoulder, and Allie moved instinctively, pulling Shadow against her chest and turning her back on the onslaught, shielding both the cat and pony from any stray shots.

Shadow hissed and spat, wanting to protect her owner, and Storm agreed with her, pulling on the bridle in the hopes of breaking Allie's grip.

But she was not about to let the animals get hurt, and so kept her grip tight on both as her back and legs were hammered with heavy objects.

_Rocks_, Allie realized dazedly, _they're throwing rocks_.

Years of similar abuse told her to stand strong and not react, and so she stood there for what felt like an eternity, until Alda and his goons ran out of rocks and left, yelling taunts all the way.

Everything _hurt_, and she sagged against Storm's neck as angry tears spilled over, mixing with the blood on her face.

She didn't move until all of the tears were gone, and clumsily climbed into the saddle, already thinking of how she was going to explain her current state.

_I wonder if Will's having fun_, she mused wryly.

Little did Allie know, he was actually in the middle of a fistfight with Horace when the thought came to her…

* * *

><p>I wanted to give you guys a peek at how Allie's life was before Redmont, the parts I didn't show you in the first chapter. Alda, Jerome, and Bryn were just an easy way to do it.<p>

Allie's had to learn to pick her battles, but I'm sure we'll all enjoy when she decides to kick their butts.^^


	7. Chapter 7 (Female Problems Present)

Ever since Allie had come back to the cottage from the Harvest Day festival, alone and bleeding, Halt knew something was wrong.

Despite her insistence that she was alright, that she had just gotten hurt falling from the saddle, it was obvious that something had happened.

She no longer offered to deliver messages to Redmont or buy groceries in Wensley Village, and pleas to visit her brother, a Battleschool instructor, abruptly ceased.

Beyond that, Allie was her usual self, making smartass comments and elbowing Will in the ribs whenever he asked too many questions.

Halt wasn't sure what worried him more; that someone had clearly harmed his apprentice, or that she was used to it.

* * *

><p>Allie was used to pain (years of being pelted with rocks and sticks had made her much more resilient), but she had never felt anything this bad before.<p>

Her intestines seemed to have twisted themselves into hard knots, and her stomach was practically trying to drop out of her chest from all the nausea.

Curled up on her bed, Allie hugged her stomach and tried to breathe, trembling from the effort of holding the agony in.

Halt had left with Will after breakfast that morning, most likely for tracking or something else she was unable to join in, and had ordered her to keep up the cottage while they were gone.

Not long after she was left alone, the pain started.

It had been bearable at first, just a bit of nausea, and she had managed to clean up the kitchen before realizing something was wrong.

Her knees had turned to jelly by the time she had reached the safety of her bed, and Allie hadn't moved since then, frightened that the pain would intensify with the slightest movement.

Just breathing was agony, and she whimpered pathetically into her pillow as Shadow purred, attempting to soothe her.

Storm whinnied a greeting outside, and Allie didn't know what to do; she didn't want Halt to find her like this, but she didn't want to be alone anymore.

The hinges creaked at the front door, and her own instincts betrayed her.

"H-Halt."

Unhappy with her moment of weakness, Allie lifted her head as the door opened, trying to smile.

"Hi…"

Shadow was shooed away, and a hand pressed against her forehead, probably checking for fever.

"What's wrong?"

"I-I'm fine, Halt." Allie insisted, voice cracking as tears threatened to form.

"J-Just a stomach ache…"

"Of course. Everyone goes into the fetal position when they have stomach aches. How could I have forgotten?"

Halt's sarcasm was obvious, and he pressed gently on her stomach, batting away her weak attempts to stop him when the Ranger prodded a knot of pain in her lower stomach.

Allie went completely still for a long moment, and then curled in tighter on herself, biting her lip to keep from crying out.

Someone jumped, bumping against a hard surface, and she realized that Will had come in without her realizing it.

_Some Ranger I'm going to be…_

"Get the medical kit." Halt ordered, trying to pull her arms away so he could see what was wrong.

Allie yelped, mainly because something warm splashed against the inside of her thighs.

The Ranger went strangely still, as if noticing something for the first time…

"I've got the kit! Is she gonna be alright?"

Will's voice broke through the silence as effectively as a bull through a china shop, and Halt was moving again.

"Get the healer, and take the cat out of here."

"But…"

There was a moment of silence where Allie guessed he was glaring at Will, and the boy soon scampered out with a protesting Shadow.

Though Allie had never been glared at, she figured that having someone angrily stare at you and knowing they could pick you off with an arrow at any moment was pretty frightening…

* * *

><p>Mortified couldn't <em>begin<em> to explain what Allie felt after the whole ordeal.

Closing the door on the young healer that had been sent, Allie proceeded to smack her head repeatedly against the wood in an attempt to get rid of the memories.

A hand closed over her forehead, preventing her from continuing that particular course of action as her head was pulled back.

"Only I'm allowed to hit you on the head."

If Allie didn't know any better, she'd swear Halt was teasing her…

"…I'm sorry."

The Ranger didn't reply for a long moment, and eventually ruffled her hair affectionately.

"I know."

Those words meant so much, and Allie couldn't help smiling.

She had never felt so warm before.

* * *

><p>One-Two-Three, One-Two-Three, One-Two-Three…<p>

Storm's hoofbeats were muffled by the snow, but Allie still managed to count the beats of her gait, mainly for lack of anything better to do.

One-Two-Three, One-Two-Three, One-Two-Three…

"Focus."

Lulled into a calm trance from the repetitive pattern, Allie jolted as Halt's voice broke through.

"Right. Sorry."

Ignoring the mumbled complaint from her mentor, she tuned-in to the sounds of the forest as Shadow huddled deeper into the folds of her Ranger cloak.

The winter air was frigid, which was probably the only reason Allie had only dozed instead of falling asleep while following Will in his tracking lesson.

Though she could never learn the skill herself, Halt had insisted she come along as 'an extra set of ears'.

Still, better than cleaning the cottage again…

"Could we possibly continue with our tracking, or did you have something more important to do?"

It seemed Allie wasn't the only one daydreaming…

"There." Halt repeated, sounding exasperated with both of his apprentices.

"…Rabbit."

"Rabbit?"

"…Rabbit_s_."

"I should think so. After all, if they were Skandian tracks there, you'd need to be sure you knew how many there were."

"I suppose so…" Will admitted.

"You suppose so! Believe me, Will, there's a big difference between knowing there's one Skandian about and knowing that there are half a dozen. Isn't there, Alex?"

_Thanks for putting me on the spot here…_

"I'm pretty sure I'd like to know if I'm going to die, so yeah."

"See?"

Will only answered with a mumbled affirmative, sufficiently chastised at the thought that his mistakes could hurt his friend.

"So…rabbits. Is that all?"

"…A stoat!" Will answered after a moment.

"A stoat. But you should have known there was something else there, Will. Look at how deep those rabbit tracks are. It's obvious that something had frightened them. When you see a sign like that, it's a hint to look for something extra."

"I see…"

"No. All too often, you don't see, because you don't maintain your concentration. You'll have to work on that."

They continued on in silence, Allie pushing her sense of hearing past the usual boundaries, brow knitting together in concentration.

She had begun doing that recently, testing the limits of her available senses in order to help with training.

Maybe, if she just got _stronger_ and _faster_ and _better_, she wouldn't be such a failure…

"Look! What's that?"

Storm pulled to a stop on Tug's left side, and Allie shook her head, senses returning to their normal parameters.

_Note to self: listening too hard to something far away makes me ignore the immediate surroundings._

"Hmmm. That's one I haven't shown you yet. Don't see too many of them these days, so take a good look, Will."

Both Halt and Will dismounted, moving to the side of the road, and Storm tossed her head.

"What is it?"

"Wild boar. And a big one."

Will was probably close to having some kind of panic attack, because Halt was quick to continue.

"Relax. He's nowhere near us."

"Can you tell that from the tracks?"

"No. I can tell it from our horses. If a boar that size were anywhere in the district, those three would be snuffing and pawing and whinnying so hard, we wouldn't be able to hear ourselves think."

"Oh…"

Smiling at the exchange, she pat Storm's neck, tilting her head as a noise caught her attention.

It was soft, barely noticeable, like the rustling of leaves…

But there was no wind.

Her other hand tightened on her bow, and Shadow's hiss vibrated against her stomach.

"Halt." She said lowly, already securing an arrow to the string.

"…I hope you're not thinking of shooting the poor old farmer who's hiding behind those bushes."

Allie was ready to explain the difference between being _blind_ and being _deaf_ when said farmer made his presence officially known.

"Don't shoot, good lady! Please, don't shoot! It's only me!"

The farmer seemed to stumble across the snow towards them, never once shutting his mouth.

Allie only lowered her bow when Will pressed on her wrist, and she frowned at the already-annoying man.

_Can't I still shoot him?_

Her expression must have said it enough for Halt to cuff her upside the head.

Wincing, she rubbed her head and mumbled an apology as Storm seemed to snort in laughter.

"Traitor…"

"How did you know he was there?" Will asked softy.

"Saw him a few minutes ago." Halt replied dismissively.

"You'll both eventually learn to sense when someone's watching you. Then you know to look for them."

That was a comforting thought, at least for Allie; she was tired of being caught by surprise.

"Now then, why are you skulking there? Who told you to spy on us?" The Ranger demanded.

There was a moment of silence where the farmer was either looking at her bow or at Halt, and Allie smiled as she wondered which was more frightening.

"Not spying, sir! No, no! Not spying. I heard you coming and thought you was that monster porker coming back!"

Allie got the vague feeling that she should be insulted by that…

"You thought I was a wild boar?"

Apparently, Halt decided that, yes, he should be insulted by that.

"No. No. No. No." The poor farmer assured.

"Leastways, not once I'd saw you! But then I wasn't sure who you might be. Could be bandits, like."

"What are you doing here? You're not a local, are you?"

"Come from over Willowtree Creek, I do!" The man stated proudly.

"Been trailing that porker and hoping to find someone as could turn him into bacon."

The severity leaked from Halt's tone.

"You've seen the boar, then?"

Shadow crawled up to nestle inside of Allie's hood, sniffing at the farmer haughtily before settling.

"Seen him. Heard him. Don't want to see him no more. He's a bad 'un, sir, mark my words."

"He's certainly a big one, anyway." Halt mused, most likely checking the tracks.

"And evil, sir! That 'un has a real devil of a temper in him. Why, he'd as soon tear up a man or a horse as have his breakfast, he would!"

The thought of a giant monster charging at her, all wild growling and tearing tusks, sent a shiver of fiery terror down Allie's spine.

"So what did you have in mind for him? What's your name, by the way?"

"Peter, sir. Salt Peter, they calls me, on account of I likes a little salt on my meat, I do." The farmer informed.

"I'm sure you do."

Allie had never known Halt could have so much patience…

"But what were you hoping to do about this boar?"

"…Don't rightly know." Salt Peter admitted.

"Hoped maybe I'd find a soldier or a warrior or a knight to get rid of him. Or maybe a Ranger."

The Ranger didn't say anything for a moment, and walked towards Peter after dusting snow from his pants.

"Has he been causing a lot of trouble?"

"That he has, sir! That he has! Killed three dogs. Tore up fields and fences, he has. And as near as anything killed my son-in-law when he tried to stop him. Like I said, sir, he's a bad 'un!"

"Hmmm…Well, there's no question that we'd better do something about it. How much daylight would you say is left, Will?"

The boy was silent for a few long moments, making sure his reply was accurate.

"A little over an hour?"

"Are you asking me, or telling me?" Halt retorted.

"A little over an hour." Will reiterated, more sure of himself.

"Correct. Very well, Salt Peter, I want you to take a message to Baron Arald."

"Baron Arald?"

"See what you've done? You've got him answering questions with questions now!"

"Sorry…"

Allie hid her smile with a cough, sensing Will's enjoyment and Halt's amused frustration.

"That's right, Baron Arald. You'll find his castle a couple of kilometers along this track." Halt informed the old farmer.

"A castle, you say? I've never seen a castle!"

The Ranger was losing his patience now…

"That's right, a castle. Now, go to the guard at the gate…"

"Is it a big castle?"

"It's a huge castle!" Halt roared, frightening Shadow out of her doze.

"No need to bellow, young man. I were only asking, is all."

Halt was seriously considering if he should let Allie use the man as target practice…

"Well then, stop interrupting me. We're wasting time here. Now, are you listening?"

Allie could only guess that the man nodded, since Halt was no longer reprimanding him.

"Good. Go to the guard on the gate and say you have a message from Halt for Baron Arald."

"Halt? Not the Ranger Halt?"

"Yes, the Ranger Halt." He replied tiredly, patience wearing thin.

"The one who led the ambush on Morgarath's Wargals?"

"The same."

Storm took an involuntary pace back, though Allie assured her that Halt wasn't going to attack.

"Well, where is he?"

_Oh no…_

"I'm Halt!"

Poor Salt Peter, not knowing to quit while he still had a head…

"No, no, no. You can't be him. Why, the Ranger Halt is as tall as two men-and as broad. A giant of a man, he is! Brave, fierce in battle, he is. You couldn't be him."

"I…am…Halt. I was taller when I was young, and a lot broader. But now I'm this size. Do you understand?"

Even Allie, rebellious as she was compared to Will, would have never gotten Halt that upset…

"Well, if you say so…"

"Good. Now, tell the Baron that Halt, Will and Alex…"

A hand was slapped over a mouth (Allie knew the sound well from personal experience).

"That's Will there, and Alex on the horse."

When Salt Peter made no move to interrupt again, Halt continued.

"Tell him Halt, Will and Alex are tracking a wild boar. When we find its lair, we'll return to the castle. In the meantime, the Baron should gather his men for a hunt tomorrow morning. Have you got all that?"

The poor man probably nodded, but Halt was apparently not convinced.

"Then repeat it back to me."

"Go to the castle, tell the gate guard I have a message from you…Halt…for the Baron. Tell the Baron that you…Halt…and him…Will…and her…Alex…are tracking a wild boar to find its lair. Tell him to have his men ready for a hunt tomorrow."

"Good."

Both Halt and Will mounted their horses a few moments later, but Salt Peter did not move.

"Off you go." Halt prompted.

Allie scratched behind Shadow's ears to coax the cat's claws into hiding again as the farmer moved down the road.

When he stopped a few yards away, she paused to find out why.

"I don't believe you, you know! Nobody grows shorter and thinner!"

Unable to hold in a laugh at that as Salt Peter dashed away, Allie yelped when she was cuffed upside the head.

"_OW_! Oh, _come on_!"


	8. Chapter 8

Shadow was pacing restlessly up and down Allie's shoulders, mirroring her owner's hidden anxiety to a tee.

Whenever the knights so much as twitched in their direction, the cat would arch her back and hiss, warning them away.

Cooing at the agitated creature and fondling the rounded ears until Shadow purred, Allie tried to calm her own racing heart.

The prospect of facing a blood-thirsty animal that could likely eat her whole was wreaking havoc on her composure.

"How are you feeling?"

Turning her head towards Will, Allie tried to school her features into a frown.

"I'm fine. Couldn't be better."

Will could see the fear in her face, despite Allie's attempts to hide it, and understood.

"…I'll be right there with you, Alex. No matter what happens, we've got each other's backs, remember?"

Allie would never admit how comforted she was by Will's words, but Will seemed to have read it in her expression.

"Ready?"

Taking in a deep breath, Allie imagined breathing out all of her nervous energy and smiled.

"Ready."

Storm knew to stay close to Tug as they approached with the hunters, and, despite her obvious trepidation, did not stray from her course.

Allie could not help the adrenaline-pounding fear she felt growing in her chest as Shadow's rising hiss warned her of the boar's nearness.

When the mare stopped, her heart leapt up to her throat like a scared rabbit until Will's hand pressed onto her arm.

Relaxing at the knowledge that it wasn't the boar that had caused them to pause, Allie let out an embarrassedly relieved breath.

"Remember, if you have to shoot, aim for a spot just behind the left shoulder. A clean shot to the heart will be your only chance to stop him if he's charging."

Halt put a hand on her shoulder, a comforting weight.

"Stay close to Will and the Baron."

Nodding, she tightened her grip on the recurve bow.

"I will."

The hand retreated, and the circle of hunters continued to close in on the boar's lair.

Shadow seemed to be yelling at her for getting so close, if her audible hissing was any indication, and Allie tried to soothe the flustered feline without success.

As the cat crouched on her shoulder, claws flexing into the material of her cloak, Allie's muscles wound themselves up like tightening springs.

Whatever happened, she would be ready, fear be damned.

A deep roaring sound, like a growling scream, made the hair stand up on the back of her neck as Shadow spat angrily.

The sound sent a primal fear through Allie's entire body, and her 'fight-or-flight' reflex was a breath away from being triggered.

Storm shuddered beneath her, equally frightened, and focusing on calming her pony helped to push back the terror.

"He's in there alright!" The Baron voiced excitedly.

"Let's hope he comes out on our side, eh, boys?"

Allie was hoping the boar didn't do that, thank you very much!

When the dogs were released, baying as they rushed into the thicket, she felt Shadow arch her back in preparation.

Soon, the baying of the dogs mixed with this inhuman screaming over the sound of snapping wood, and Allie hoped she would never hear anything like it ever again.

There was a deafening crash, the sound of uprooted plants and wounded dogs echoing in her ears, and Storm jerked back minutely against the reins as the boar tore free of it's old home.

Shadow went silent, as if some instinct had warned against drawing attention, and the entire world seemed to hold it's breath in anticipation…

With an ear-splitting roar, the boar charged, and Allie could feel the pounding of it's sharp hooves through the saddle because of the creature's size.

Thankfully, the boar had aimed more towards the right of her position.

Shuddering as the paralyzing fear thawed in her veins, Allie covered her ears in a futile attempt to block out the swine's death-shrieks.

Forever seemed to pass before the boar died, and she couldn't keep from shaking.

Even as the hunters moved away, congratulating the person that had slain their quarry, Allie was unable to keep from shaking despite the lack of danger.

Taking deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself, she realized something; Shadow was still hissing.

That meant…

Allie's blood ran cold at Storm's warning neigh.

"WILL!"

She heard someone slip on the snow, and the metal jingle of saddle stirrups.

"Look out!"

Will's shout was accompanied by a sharp 'WHACK', and Storm took off like an arrow.

Startled by the sudden change in acceleration, Allie pulled on the reins, wheeling Storm around on the pony's hind legs.

Heart pounding in her throat, she heard the boar rush off in the opposite direction and Tug's anxious whinnying and Horace's yelling-

But what about Will?

Allie felt like she couldn't breathe.

The boar went after Will.

The thought of anything happening to her only friend sent a bolt of protective rage through her body, and any fear was wiped out by the primal reaction.

Bow in one hand, Allie swung down from the saddle, dislodging Shadow and leaving her on the pony's back.

"Stay." She told them sternly, knowing the Storm and Shadow were too well-trained to disobey.

Running towards where she had heard the boar crash through some undergrowth, and head-butt a tree, Allie reached into her quiver for an arrow.

Even knowing that she would never be able to kill the boar, she couldn't just sit back and allow it to kill her friend.

The boar's ferocious roars led her to the little clearing it had created in the trees, though Allie stumbled over the disheveled ground the creature had torn up with it's massive tusks.

Cursing as she scraped her knee on a splintered chunk of wood, her head snapped up as the boar rushed past her in a cacophony of thundering hooves.

"Alex! Run!"

Scrambling to her feet, her head turned to where Will's voice had come from.

The boar was heading straight for him.

Nocking an arrow, Allie prayed earnestly that it would fly true before raising her bow.

Aiming where she estimated the boar's left shoulder was, Allie fired.

There was a solid, meaty 'SMACK', and Allie held her breath until the sound of the boar's body tumbling to the ground echoed off the trees.

Relief made her knees weak, and she dropped her bow carelessly on the grass as she forced herself into a run towards Will.

Tripping slightly over the now-harmless tusks, Allie righted herself and dropped onto Will in an all-encompassing hug.

Tears stung her sightless eyes, and Allie buried her face in the rough material of his cloak's hood as Will's own tears soaked her cloak.

"Damn it, Will…" She whispered hoarsely, throat rough with tears.

"What were thinking, you idiot?"

"I-I knew you'd have my back…" He admitted softly, fisting her cloak now.

The tears spilled over now, making her chuckle a bit watery.

"C-Can't let you die on me, can I?"

Strong arms wrapped around them in a warm hold, and both relaxed into the refuge of Halt's embrace.

"You couldn't stay out of trouble for five minutes?"

The comment lacked any true venom, and Allie managed to giggle.

"Guess not…"

The cuff to her head was barely a tap, signaling Halt's relief more than any words could have.

Sniffling, Allie allowed herself to be hefted onto her feet, using her cloak to dry her eyes as the knights finally reached them.

Congratulations and praise showered them from all sides, and the red-haired apprentice had to hold Will's wrist to keep from being disoriented.

Shadow jumped up onto her shoulder, purring in what seemed like relief, when Will turned in her grasp.

Tilting her head towards him, Allie heard an unfamiliar voice that sounded like it came from a boy only a bit older than her.

"You saved my life…That was the bravest thing I've ever seen."

There was a pause, and then the boy plowed on.

"But why, Will? After all, we…"

"…Horace, we may have fought in the past, but I don't hate you. I never hated you."

"…I owe you my life, Will. I'll never forget that debt. If you ever need a friend, if ever you need help, you can call on me."

Will turned in her grasp, and she could only guess that they were shaking hands as the knights' reverent silence fell over the scene…

Then the Baron entered the scene with his happy presence and the seriousness faded away.

"Well said, both of you!"

The knights agreed whole-heartedly, and Allie was tugged into the embrace as well.

"We've got three fine young people here! Halt, Rodney, you can both be proud of your apprentices!"

"Indeed we are, my lord." Sir Rodney assured, sounding proud.

Still, Allie turned towards her mentor, wondering if he would say anything.

Instead, he ruffled her hair through the hood of her cloak, and a smile broke across her face like liquid sunshine.

Halt figured that a bit of dignity was worth it for that smile.

* * *

><p>The story of the boar hunt spread throughout all of Wensley Village and Redmont Castle, getting distorted the entire way.<p>

Truthfully, Allie had been hoping to be left out of the story; she felt…safer, being ignored.

Unfortunately, Will and her had been made the heroes of the tale.

"I really didn't do too much at all." Will admitted one evening by the fire.

"I mean, it's not as if I thought it through and decided to do it. It just sort of happened. And after all, Alex killed the boar, not me."

"People will think what they want to." Halt replied quietly.

"Never take too much notice of it."

Allie wished things were that simple, but knew they weren't; it would take a lot of time for her to ignore the criticisms of others.

"But what about Horace? He was just as brave, getting between me and the boar." Will continued.

"Do you think Sir Rodney noticed?"

"Sir Rodney knows. He doesn't miss much. He's got a little more up top than the average bash and whacker."

Fondling Shadow's ears so the cat purred, warmed by the fire and her owner's embrace, Allie nodded in understanding.

There was nothing else they could hope for, and they had a long day of training ahead of them…


	9. Chapter 9

The fast-beat rhythm of arrows thudding into wooden targets filled her ears, causing Allie to instinctively time her breaths to the drawing and releasing of an arrow.

Will and her were in perfect sync, firing only seconds apart from each other and with consistent accuracy.

The last arrow in her quiver was fired, and she lowered the bow with a deep exhale.

"How'd we do?"

This particular exercise had always been a challenge for Allie; it required constant adjustments, with very little time allowed to make those adjustments.

"I think we're getting the hang of it." Will admitted, gently depositing his bow on the grass.

"You're only off by an inch this time."

"You know what Halt says: 'An inch might as well be a mile'." She quoted from memory, feeling a mischievous smile creep across her face.

"Then again, I suspect him of having a coffee shrine in his wardrobe, so maybe I shouldn't be listening so well."

A muffled snigger was his only response.

Will had learned quickly that laughing at Allie's jokes often earned him a cuff upside the head; it was best to play it safe and hold any laughter in.

"I'm surprised you don't have a dent in your head yet."

"I think I'm getting there…" Allie confessed jokingly, rubbing the back of her head where Halt made it a habit to smack her.

She would be the first to admit that she deserved most of those smacks, despite complaints to the contrary.

Twitching slightly as the sound of footsteps came towards them, muffled by the grass, Allie turned towards the noise.

Will had paused in retrieving their arrows, most likely assessing the newcomers.

"…Good morning. What brings you down here?"

"We're looking for the Ranger's apprentices."

Allie went completely still as Shadow's hissing from an overhead tree branch became audible.

Alda.

"Well, you've found them. What can we do for you?"

"We've brought a message from the Battleschool for you."

"It's about what happened at the boar hunt."

"You know, people are talking a lot of nonsense about that. I didn't do much." Will replied.

"We know." Jerome snapped, the anger he was radiating putting Allie on-edge.

"But when you go swanking around telling everyone you saved a big, clumsy Battleschool apprentice, you make us look foolish." Bryn accused.

"I never said that!" Will objected.

"I-"

They tried to get close enough to strike, and Allie immediately intercepted, standing strong between the group of bullies and her friend.

"Piss off." She growled, fists clenched.

"Look, boys. Kitty got claws." Alda needled.

"I said piss off, Alda, before I have to waste time making you."

There was a long stand-still between them, as if the larger Battleschool apprentices were calculating the odds, before they struck.

Something hard and wooden slammed into Allie's side, forcing the breath out of her lungs.

Taking the opportunity despite the pain, Allie grabbed the make-shift weapon and yanked it out of the boy's hands, spinning around to land a harsh strike to his face.

Dropping the smooth wooden stick (probably a cane, she figured) as someone tackled her to the ground, she thrashed wildly, kicking and scratching and punching any part of the person she could reach.

A heavy weight landed on her legs, effectively pinning them, and Allie struggled as her arms were restrained over her head.

"ALEX!"

The sound of wood striking flesh made her struggles more violent, and Bryn grunted with the effort of keeping her restrained.

Allie had barely regained the breath she had lost when Alda returned his attention to her, once Will was securely restrained.

"Don't worry, witch-girl." He said mockingly, cupping her cheek in one hand in bastardized affection.

"We'll have fun with you once we're done with your little friend here."

Rage burned in her chest, the kind of fury that had made her save Shadow all those years ago and chase down the boar when it had threatened Will.

The rage sparked instinct, and she followed through with that instinct.

Blood gushed into Allie's mouth as her teeth broke through the skin on Alda's hand, and she held strong even when he tried to yank himself free.

They cursed, they kicked, they punched, but Allie was not going to let go.

As long as she kept her grip, they wouldn't hurt Will.

"That's enough!"

Dazed from a glancing blow to her temple, it took a few long moments for her to recognize the new voice.

Horace?

A fist was forced into her gut, forcing Allie to open her mouth and release Alda's hand as she choked on his blood.

The weight was lifted from her body, and Allie curled into herself in pain.

"Baby followed us."

"Baby wants another beating."

"And Baby's going to get it."

Knowing that they were going to gang up on their fellow Battleschool apprentice, Allie levered herself up and winced as bruises pulled along her torso.

The solid 'THOCK' of arrows connecting with wood rang through the clearing just as Will reached her side, helping Allie to her feet.

Bryn and Jerome cried out in surprise, and Allie tilted her head towards Will in question.

"Halt."

A smile crossed her face, and the red-haired apprentice giggled callously.

"They're in for it now…"

"I think one at a time is fairer, don't you?"

"This is Battleschool business, Ranger. You'd best stay out of it." Alda blustered ineffectively.

"Battleschool business, is it, sonny?"

Halt's low, dangerous tone nearly made Allie flinch despite knowing he wasn't angry with her.

"I seem to notice that there were Ranger apprentices being attacked. I think that makes it Ranger's business as well, don't you?"

"Make it your business if you like. I really don't care one way or the other." Alda sneered.

"Well then, I think I will make it my business-but I won't be needing this."

There was the gentle rustling of an arrow being placed into a quiver and the slight 'thump' of a bow landing on the grass, and then a rapid-fire assault that Allie barely kept up with.

"Don't ever talk to me like that again, boy, and don't ever lay a hand on my apprentices again. Understand?"

There was no reply (Alda was probably peeing his pants by this point), and Allie felt a rush of warmth at the thought that Halt really cared for them that much.

"Understand?"

"Yes…sir."

The sound of Halt sheathing one of his blades, and then a yelp from Bryn.

"You, pick up your cane."

The Battleschool apprentice fumbled around for a while doing so, most likely never taking his eyes off Halt.

"Now give me back my arrow."

Allie forced herself to walk towards them as the razor-edged projectile was returned, biting back the pain as Will tried to call her back.

"I take it these are the three who gave you those bruises?"

"…Yes, sir." Horace answered simply.

"I rather thought so…"

The Ranger paused when Allie tugged on his cloak, taking in her determined expression through the blood and darkening bruises.

"…One-on-one, I assume?"

"They can even keep the canes." She agreed, her smile feral.

"You're going to fight them alone?" Horace protested, uneasy.

"Don't worry, Horace." Will assured, holding an upset Shadow in his arms.

"She's a lot tougher than she looks."

When no more protests were made, Allie faced the beaten bullies, stretching out her back muscles leisurely so the vertebrae popped.

The noise itself was painful, like cracking wood, but Allie made sure to show no sign of discomfort.

"Alright, who wants to go first?"

All three practically tripped over each other to get out of the whole thing, offering a 'friend' in place of themselves.

"Why don't you choose, Horace?" She offered, tone sickly-sweet.

"They bullied you too, didn't they? So you should choose who gets their arse handed to them first."

Horace was silent for a long moment, probably caught off-guard by the gesture, before replying.

"…Bryn."

"Bryn it is then."

Her knuckles popped and cracked ominously, a clear warning.

"Give me your best shot." Allie challenged, tilting her head up towards where the large boy's face most likely was.

It seemed her tactics were effective; the boy was thoroughly unnerved and ready to bolt, only held in place by the threat of Halt's longbow.

"B-But it's not fair!"

"Well, of course it's not fair." Halt agreed in a reasonable tone.

"I gather you think three against one is fair. Now get on with it."

There were a few more seconds of hesitation before Bryn charged in the hopes of catching Allie unawares.

Allie was far from unprepared; she was only biding her time until it was the perfect moment to strike.

Once Bryn was only feet away, and coming fast, she dropped down in a roll perpendicular to his legs.

Her back struck his shins, and the boy yelped as he was thrown off-balance, slamming into the grass face-first.

Dusting herself off as she stood, Allie tilted her head towards the groaning Battleschool apprentice on the ground to her left.

"Is that all?"

The blow to his pride was enough to get Bryn back onto his feet, swinging the cane in a wild, screaming rage.

Instead of backing away from the danger, Allie rushed in, ducking underneath the heavy cane and driving her elbow up into Bryn's ribcage.

The sound showed how agonizing the blow was, and Bryn didn't even get a chance to breath before she grabbed the back of his neck with her other arm.

Allie proceeded to practically bend him in half to slam her knee into his nose and mouth, shattering some teeth against her kneecap.

Releasing the lump of moaning flesh, Allie listened to his pathetic mumbling for a few moments before turning away.

"Who's next?"

Alda and Jerome were practically peeing themselves, if their pleas were any indication, but she ignored it.

She had asked Horace, not them.

"…Jerome." The boy answered after some hesitation.

Her tactics had probably frightened him as badly as they had Alda and Jerome.

Nodding, Allie rolled her neck, sighing contently at the cracks of her vertebrae popping back into place.

"Come on, then. I haven't got all day."

"Y-You can't be serious!" Jerome protested, horrified.

"Y-You saw what she just did!"

"I did." Halt admitted, nonchalant.

"And I also saw what you did to her at the Harvest Day festival."

The protests immediately died, and even Bryn's groaning was silent.

"I'm sure Sir John would love for you to explain why you stoned his little sister and caused her to avoid him."

Allie knew how terrifying that thought must be for the Battleschool apprentices; though normally a mild-mannered and humorous individual, John had a tendency to hurt people very badly once his temper was triggered.

Sharp sticks were usually involved.

Jerome was backed into a corner with his friends, and anyone in that position had the instinct to fight back.

Picking up the fallen cane, he swung at Allie's head with all the strength he could muster.

Stepping back a pace to avoid the blow, Allie hooked her leg around the boy's shin and yanked.

Off-balance and startled, Jerome fell heavily, right onto Allie's fist.

Finding his footing enough to jerk back, and most likely blinded by reflex tears if the 'CRACK' she had heard was his nose breaking, Jerome was helpless to stop the barrage of strikes that landed on his unprotected torso.

The decisive blow was a kick straight to his sternum, knocking the boy clean off his feet for a few seconds before he hit the ground in a whimpering heap.

Keeping her breaths even and controlled, Allie focused on her childhood tormentor.

"Your turn."

"B-But I'm injured!" Alda disputed, anxious.

"True." Halt agreed, mock-reasonable.

"…But wait! So is Alex."

A hand dropped on her shoulder, and she turned her head towards the Ranger.

"Do you think you can fight?"

That feral smile was back, muscles tense and ready to exact her temper's whims.

"I think I can manage just fine."

"That's what I thought. Now go on, before you lose anymore daylight."

This time, Allie didn't wait for her opponent to strike first.

With cat-like speed, she covered the distance between them in mere moments.

Clearly startled, Alda swung at her torso, holding his weapon like a quarter-staff for added force.

Having expected this reaction, Allie purposely took the attack with her hand.

Gritting her teeth as it jarred her entire arm to the shoulder, she dug in her heels and yanked back on the cane.

Alda only had time to stumble a single step before the red-haired apprentice made her move.

Using the cane as a fulcrum, Allie lifted her lower body up and slammed both feet into her opponent's shoulders.

There was a sickening 'POP', like when a cork was removed from a wine bottle, and Alda screamed as his arms were dislocated.

Releasing her hold, Allie pushed off, catching her footing in a messy, but effective, roll.

A sniveling mess on the ground, Alda pleaded for mercy from her wrath, like a mouse begging forgiveness from a hungry cat.

Listening silently until the boy finally ran out of words, Allie spoke, voice controlled and words carefully chosen.

"You're pathetic, Alda. Does it make you feel like a man, going around and picking on people younger than you?"

This last question was voiced with a growl; a sliver of her hate bared to the world.

"All these years, I was frightened of you, but I was stupid to be frightened of such a coward."

He took a breath, readying a reply, and her foot slammed down on the most tender area of the male anatomy.

The three males behind her winced in sympathy despite themselves.

"I'm done, Alda. You're not even worth hating."

Turning away from the whimpering boy on the ground, she went straight by the group of now-wary men, Shadow jumping onto her shoulder with a half-purr.

It was only when she was safely out of earshot, hidden in a corner of Storm's stall, that Allie permitted a groan to escape her chest.

Every ache and pain made itself known, and throbbed with each breath.

Adrenaline and rage had made it easy to ignore, but now her body was intent on punishing her for the neglect.

Nursing what was most likely a growing bruise on her cheek, Allie grunted when Storm nudged her chest, prodding a tender area on her stomach.

Resting her forehead against the mare's forelock, she smiled at the laugh-like snort the action earned.

"Yeah, yeah…I'd like to see how tough you are when you get beaten up…"


	10. Chapter 10

"Are we nearly there?"

Allie fought down the urge to punch Will in the arm again; this was the fiftieth time in three days that he had asked that question.

"I swear, Will, if you ask _one more time_…"

Taking the threat seriously, Will immediately shut his mouth, teeth clicking against each other with the force.

Letting out a relieved breath, Allie rubbed the back of her neck as Shadow climbed up to her favorite perch on Storm's head.

The mare snorted impassively at the movement, but didn't seem to mind the cat's dozing presence between her ears.

Resting her free hand on the pommel, Alex relaxed fully, her senses beginning to drift…

One-Two-Three-One-Two-Three-One-Two-Three.

Alert, she tilted her head to one side, focusing on the odd beat she had heard.

Storm, Tug and Abelard were in perfect time, a three-beat of gentle thunder that never wavered, but there was a fourth beat, only a second out of tune, underneath the thunder.

"Halt?"

The Ranger sighed, patience having already been tested by Will's persistent questions.

"Yes?"

"Someone's following us."

"So, you finally noticed." He replied, a hint of pride hidden beneath the sarcasm.

"How?" Will questioned, most likely listening for the elusive fourth set of hoofbeats.

"It was pretty obvious." Allie replied, shrugging her shoulders beneath the cloak.

"It was for me, at least."

Halt was impressed; only a few highly-trained Rangers would have noticed so quickly, or at all.

Still, that didn't mean he would admit it.

"Change gait on three." Halt whispered, catching their attention.

"One, two, three."

Nudging her left toe into Storm's shoulder, Allie felt the little mare immediately respond by skipping a pace.

The fourth set of hoofbeats became as apparent as a war drum for a few moments before the unseen horse matched their gait again.

"Ranger horse." Halt deduced softly.

"It'll be Gilan, for sure."

"How can you tell?" Will asked.

"Only a Ranger horse could change their pace as quickly as that. And it'll be Gilan because it's always Gilan. He loves trying to catch me out."

"Why?"

"Because he was my last apprentice, and for some reason, former apprentices just love to catch their former masters with their breeches down."

Feeling his accusing glare, Allie held up her hands in a gesture of peace.

"If there's one thing I _don't_ want to do, it's catch you with your breeches down. I'll be fine tripping you."

The Ranger snorted.

"At least you're honest about it." He muttered, causing Allie to grin.

"That's the spot there. Ready?"

Hearing Will shift in the saddle, Allie kicked free of the stirrups and balanced on Storm's back in a crouch.

Will tapped five fingers against her forearm four times, and she tapped her thumb on the pommel to the steady beat as she counted to five.

It was another silent communications system Will had invented, and one of the few that Halt had approved off after initial testing.

At least they'd gotten some good dinner out of that experience…

Tensing on 'four', Allie leapt off to the left, curling into a compact ball to roll through the bush she landed in.

Not bothering to remove any possible leaves or twigs from her hair, she pulled up her hood.

Taking a moment to listen, she slunk along the trail, as silent as a prowling cat on the hunt for a skittish bird.

Hearing Halt dismount, Allie found a tree directly across from her mentor and scaled it with relative ease.

She had plenty of practice from when she would play hide-and-seek with John, or when she had to get away from the other village children.

Living with Will had only honed her skill, though she still had some trouble going at his pace; the boy was part monkey, she was _sure_ of it.

Stopping three branches up (she didn't want to _kill_ Gilan, after all), Allie crouched on the sturdiest one she could find and waited.

…

Snap.

Resisting the instinct to twitch, every muscle in her body coiled, ready for action.

The rustling of leaves, the slight crunch of grass; all of these sounds helped her track Gilan's progress, though they were soft.

Unable to repress a grin when he stopped below her on the trail, Allie waited for her cue…

"Halt, Halt!"

"Well, Gilan, I see you're still making that old joke."

"The joke appears to be on you this year, Halt."

"Really, Gilan? And what joke would that be, I wonder?"

"Come now, Halt. Admit it. For once I've got the best of you-and you know how many years I've been trying."

"It beats me why you keep on trying, Gilan, as a matter of fact."

The younger Ranger laughed; Allie theorized that Halt had sold his ability to laugh in order to better scare people silent.

"You should know how much pleasure it gives an ex-apprentice to get the best of his master, Halt. Now come on. Admit it. This year, I've won."

When Halt didn't respond right away, she could hear the slight shifting of the other's weight from the soft crunch of gravel.

"Ah, yes…apprentices and masters. They're a strange combination, alright. But tell me, Gilan, my old apprentice, aren't you forgetting something this year?"

An arrow hissed through the air and hit a tree to her right with a satisfying 'THOCK'.

The next moment, when her prey was most likely distracted, Allie dropped from her perch with the intent of a jungle cat.

Gilan nearly buckled under the sudden weight on his shoulders, absorbing the impact through his legs in order to keep from falling over.

"…Alexandra, I presume?" The young Ranger questioned, a hint of laughter in his tone signaling that he wasn't upset.

Allie grinned.

"Yup!"

"Come down, both of you, and meet Gilan, on of our more careless Rangers." Halt commanded, tone prompting immediate obedience from his current apprentices.

Releasing her hold on the young Ranger's shoulders, Allie landed in a slight crouch and brushed leaves off her cloak as she stood.

"I told you when you were a boy, didn't I? Never be too hasty. Don't rush into things."

Will joined them at that moment, dropping from a tree branch much like Allie had, and Gilan sounded a bit subdued when he responded.

"It appears that I was so intent on catching myself an old gray fox that I overlooked the small monkeys hiding in the trees."

"Monkey, is it?" Halt retorted gruffly.

"I'd say they've made a monkey out of you today. Will, Alex, this is Gilan, my former apprentice and now Ranger of Meric Fief-although what they did to deserve him is beyond me."

"And just as I was thinking I'd finally gotten the better of you, Halt." Gilan voiced cheerfully, shaking Will's hand.

"So you're Will. I'm pleased to meet you. That was a neat piece of work, young fellow."

Allie remembered Halt's instructions, that you should never gloat when you best a man ("or woman," Halt had been careful to add) and should find something in his (or her) actions to praise.

Luckily, Will remembered as well.

"Yes, I'm Will. Could you perhaps teach me how to move like that? It was brilliant."

Gilan laughed ruefully.

"Not too brilliant, I think. You obviously saw me coming from a long way away."

"I saw you when you arrived, and I saw where you'd been. But I never once saw you from the time you rounded that bend. I wish I could move like that."

"…Well, Halt, I see this young fellow doesn't merely have talent. He has excellent manners as well."

Halt was silent for a moment, prompting Allie to wonder what he was thinking again, before speaking.

"Unseen movement was always Gilan's best skill. You'd do well if he agreed to tutor you."

Allie yelped in surprise when a hand ruffled her hair through the hood of her cloak, and she pushed the cloth back to shake leaves out of her hair.

"And what about you, young lady?" Gilan voiced joyfully, putting an arm around her shoulders in a friendly gesture.

"Getting the drop on a Ranger like that isn't easy."

Flushing at the praise, Allie turned her face down to hide it.

"You weren't too bad yourself." She replied jokingly, managing a smile.

"You should be honored, Gilan." Halt voiced.

"That's the nicest thing she's said to anyone since I met her."

"Is not!"

…

"Oh, wait…It is."

Smile turning sheepish, Allie twiddled her thumbs with a subdued chuckle.

"Old habits, I guess…"

Another good-natured ruffle of her hair showed that Gilan still appreciated the thought, and she mock-pouted at the action.

"A lot like a grumpy kitten, isn't she?"

The older Ranger barely managed to hide the humor in his voice.

"More like a grumpy mountain lion, I think."

Blowing a raspberry at her mentor, she flinched when the Ranger flicked her forehead.

Halt had promised not to cuff her upside the head at the Gathering.

Unfortunately, he hadn't said anything about flicking her in the forehead…

Rubbing at the stinging skin, Allie sulked over to Will's side as Halt embraced his former apprentice.

"It's good to see you again." He greeted warmly.

"You get lankier every year. When are you going to put some meat on those bones?"

"You appear to have enough for both of us." Gilan joked.

"Is that the beginnings of a potbelly I see there? I'll wager he's sitting around the cabin letting you two do all the housework these days?"

Grinning at the truth in that statement, Allie turned her head slightly as Tug and Storm trotted up, Shadow jumping onto her owner's shoulders with a purr.

Fondling the cat's ears lovingly, she allowed Shadow to curl up inside the hood of her cloak before mounting Storm.

Patting the pony's shaggy neck while taking up the reins with one hand, she lifted her head at Will's voice.

"I thought we weren't allowed to have swords."

"…It's not that we're not allowed. It's a matter of priorities. It takes years to become a good swordsman and we don't have the time. We have other skills to develop."

There was the slightest pause, and even Allie sensed Will's next question before Halt answered it.

"Gilan's father is a knight, so Gilan had already been training with the sword for some years before he joined the Rangers. He was considered a special case and he was allowed to continue that training when he was apprenticed to me."

"But I thought…"

The boy paused as Gilan's horse trotted up to them, unsure on if he should proceed.

"Never say that in front of Halt." The young Ranger warned playfully.

"He'll simply reply, "You're an apprentice. You're not ready to think"; or, "if you thought about it, you wouldn't ask"."

Allie had to admit, Gilan was _very_ good at impersonations…

"If Gilan's father was a knight, wasn't he automatically eligible for Battleschool? Or did they think he was too small as well?" Will questioned.

"I could have gone to Battleschool." Gilan admitted.

"But I chose to join the Rangers."

"Some of us do, you know." Halt put in mildly.

Allie had to agree; she had chosen to become a Ranger, after all.

"But I thought…"

Halt and Gilan had timed their reply perfectly: "You're an apprentice. You're not ready to think."

Storm immediately followed as Abelard and Gilan's own horse trotted off, Tug not far behind her, and both little ponies squeezed in-between their elders.

Will took hold of her wrist with a gentle squeeze, and she tilted her head towards him in question.

"…I'm glad I decided to become a Ranger." He admitted in a whisper.

A grin crossed her face, and Allie shifted her arm until she could grip his wrist in return.

"I'm glad you decided to become a Ranger, too."

The rest of the trip to the Gathering Ground was spent in a companionable silence.


	11. Chapter 11

"Something's happened."

Twitching when Halt's voice broke the silence, Allie furrowed her brow and tried to hear whatever the Ranger had seen.

Halt had warned her that the Gathering could be rather noisy, so Allie wasn't surprised by the sound of activity that reached her, or the smell of campfires.

But there was a sense of urgency to it; no one seemed to be idling or making small talk, as if something important was going on.

"What is it?" Will asked.

"Not sure. See if you can find us a decent campsite. I'll see what's going on."

As Abelard trotted down the slight slope towards where the tents presumably were, Halt was quick to give one more order.

"Don't pitch the tents yet. From the looks of things, we may not be needing them."

Leg bouncing nervously, a habit Halt had yet to break, Allie turned her head towards Gilan.

"Don't worry." He assured quickly, a hint of concern in his tone.

"Once Halt gets back, he'll fill us in."

Knowing that Gilan was right, Allie nodded in agreement and followed the young Ranger and Will down to the Gathering Ground.

Those two chose a decent campsite, and she unsaddled Storm, allowing the pony to graze as Shadow jumped down from her shoulders to scout the area.

Used to the cat's territorial ways, Allie joined her companions on the log they had chosen for seats, legs bouncing once more.

There was nothing left to do but wait.

Someone was pacing nearby, a couple meters to their left, and she raised her head when the person's footsteps drew closer.

"Any news?" The new arrival wondered.

"We were just about to ask you the same question." Gilan admitted.

"It's Merron, isn't it?"

"That's right. And you're Gilan, if I remember correctly."

"The boy's name is Will, and the girl's is Alex." Gilan introduced.

"So you're Halt's new apprentices." Merron deduced.

"We wondered what you two would be like. I was going to be one of your assessors, you know."

"Going to be?" Allie voiced as Shadow climbed into the hood of her lowered cloak.

"Yes. I doubt we'll continue with the Gathering now."

There was a moment of hesitation from the Ranger, hesitation born of realization and shaken nerves from seeing Allie's glazed eyes trained on his face along with Gilan's and Will's.

"You mean you haven't heard?"

Sensing that she had unnerved their fellow Ranger, she turned her face away and nodded an affirmative to his question.

"Morgarath is up to something again."

Fear jolted up her spine at the name, and she knew the same had happened to Will.

"What's happened?" Gilan asked.

Merron shifted his weight, disturbing some dirt in front of him in an act of frustration.

"There's no clear news so far. Only garbled reports. But it looks as if a force of Wargals broke out of Three Step Pass some days ago. They overran the sentries there and headed north."

"Was Morgarath with them?"

Will's silence as Gilan dug for more information was enough to show he was frightened, so Allie took hold of the boy's wrist again, giving a reassuring squeeze.

He relaxed as Merron replied to Gilan's question.

"We don't know. Don't think so at this stage, but Crowley has been sending scouts out for the past two days. Could be it's just a raid. But if it's more than that, it could mean the start of another war. If so, it's a bad time to lose Lord Lorriac."

"Lorriac is dead?" Gilan questioned, sounding fretful now.

"A stroke apparently. Or his heart. He was found dead a few days ago, with not a mark on him. Staring straight ahead. Stone cold dead."

"But he was in his prime! I saw him only a month ago and he was as healthy as a bull."

"I suppose it can happen to anyone. You just never know." Merron replied, not equipped with more details.

"Who's Lord Lorriac?" Will asked softly.

Allie had heard the name somewhere once before, having worked in her family's inn, but couldn't remember the reputation attached to it.

"Lorriac of Steden. He was the leader of the King's heavy cavalry. Probably our best cavalry commander. As Merron said, if there's war, he'll be sorely missed."

Will practically trembled in Allie's hold, gripping her wrist for some sort of support.

Her grasp never wavered, and it put Will at ease.

Allie's loyalty and determination had already made an impression on her fellow apprentice, and he couldn't imagine anything that could defeat her…

* * *

><p>Lunch was a cold affair, bread and cold meat and dried fruit, but at least Halt had arrived.<p>

"The Gathering is over." He informed shortly as they ate, and Allie tilted her head towards Merron as he approached.

After the two senior Rangers greeted each other, he went straight to the heart of their concern.

"Is it war?"

"We don't know for certain. Latest reports show that Morgarath is still in the mountains."

"Then why did the Wargals break out?" Will questioned.

"A distraction."

Allie felt their attention on her, and shrugged as she fondled Shadow's ears.

"It's what I would do. Distract the enemy with a feint, and then let out the real attack from somewhere else."

"Alex is right." Halt stated, a hint of pride in his tone.

"They're only a small party-perhaps fifty of them. They were intended to act as a diversion. While our guards were busy chasing the Wargals, Crowley thinks that the two Kalkara slipped out of the Mountains and are holed up somewhere on the Solitary Plain."

A low whistle from Gilan showed his surprise, and Allie got the feeling she didn't want to know what a Kalkara was, let alone meet one.

"You mean they still exist?" Merron finally voiced.

"I thought they died out years ago."

"Oh, they still exist all right. There are only two of them left, but that's enough to worry about." Halt answered grimly.

Silence stretched between them like a taut bowstring, and it was Will who tentatively broke it.

"What are they?"

"…When Morgarath was planning his rebellion, he wanted more than an ordinary army. He knew that if he could terrify his enemies, his task would be far easier. So over the years, he made several expeditions into the Mountains of Rain and Night, searching."

"Searching for what?" Will pressed uncertainly.

"For allies he could use against the kingdom. The Mountains are an ancient, undisturbed part of the world. They've remained unchanged for centuries and there were rumors that strange beasts and ancient monsters still lived there. The rumors turned out to be all too true."

"Like the Wargals." Allie deduced.

"Yes. Like the Wargals. And he very quickly enslaved them and bent them to his will. But then he found the Kalkara. And they're worse than Wargals. Much, much worse."

There was a bitterness in Halt's voice that Allie had never heard before, and it made her uneasy.

"There were three of them. But one was killed about eight years ago, so we know a little more about them. Think of a creature somewhere between an ape and a bear, that walks upright, and you'll have an idea of what a Kalkara looks like."

Allie hated her imagination at times; she had been told what an ape and a bear were in great detail by her mother (who hoped to frighten her daughter out of her forest adventures), and mixing them brought nightmarish creatures to her mind's eye.

"So does Morgarath control them with his mind, like the Wargals?" Will questioned.

"No. They're more intelligent than Wargals. But they are totally obsessed with silver. They worship it and hoard it and Morgarath apparently gives it to them in large amounts so they'll do his bidding. And they do it well. They can be incredibly cunning while they stalk their prey."

"Prey?" Allie voiced, fear icing over her veins.

"What sort of prey?"

Halt didn't reply right away, but his voice was soft when he did.

"The Kalkara are assassins. Once they've been given a specific victim, they will do anything in their power to reach that person and kill them."

"Can't we stop them?" Will asked, tense.

"They're very difficult to kill. They have a thick hair covering that's matted and bonded together so that it's almost like scales. An arrow will hardly penetrate. A battle ax or a broadsword is best against them. Or a good thrust with a heavy spear might do the job."

Relieved that there was a way to kill these supernatural creatures, Allie released a huge breath she hadn't realized she'd held in.

"So was it a knight who killed the one eight years ago?" Will voiced.

"Not a knight. Three. It took three fully armed knights to kill it, and only one of them survived the battle. What's more, he was crippled for life."

"Three men? All of them knights?" Will said incredulously.

"But how?" Allie wondered, confused.

"The problem is, if you get close enough to use a sword or spear, the Kalkara can usually stop you before you have a chance." Gilan explained, fingers drumming on the sword hilt at his waist.

"How does it stop you?" Allie pressed, frowning at the vague reply.

It was Merron who answered this time.

"Its eyes. If you look into its eyes, you are frozen helpless-the way a snake freezes a bird with its gaze before it kills it."

Having never seen such a thing (for obvious reasons), Allie's eyebrow rose in disbelief.

"Freezes you, huh?"

"How can it do that?" Will agreed.

"Are you talking about magic here?"

"…Some people call it magic." Halt eventually replied.

"I think it's more likely a form of hypnotism. Either way, Merron is right. If a Kalkara can make you look into its eyes, you become paralyzed by sheer terror, unable to do anything to save yourself."

Sensing her fellow apprentice's growing panic, and feeling her own take root somewhere in her throat, Allie squeezed Will's wrist comfortingly.

"Isn't there anything you can do?" He wondered, voice steadier as his panic receded.

"Legend has it that they are particularly vulnerable to fire. Problem is, as before, getting close enough to do any damage. Carrying a naked flame makes it difficult to stalk a Kalkara. They tend to hunt at night and they can see you coming."

Allie was getting the urge to just stab the beast through the eyes and be done with the whole thing…

"What makes Crowley think that Morgarath is using them?"

"…He's already used them twice in the past year-to kill Lord Northolt and Lord Lorriac."

Brow furrowing at the other familiar name, Allie scowled at herself for being unable to remember who the man was.

"Northolt was thought to be killed by a bear, remember? I thought at the time that Northolt was too skilled a hunter to be killed that way. Crowley evidently agrees."

"But what about Lorriac? Everyone said it was a stroke." Merron reminded.

"You'd heard that, had you? Well, his physician was most surprised. Said he'd never seen a healthier man. On the other hand…"

"It could have been the work of the Kalkara." Gilan finished for his old mentor.

"Exactly. We don't know the full effects of the freezing stare they've developed. Maintained over a long enough time, the terror could well be enough to stop a man's heart. And there were vague reports that a large, dark animal was seen in the area."

The idea had too much human cunning behind it for Allie's comfort; it was like giving a murderer claws and invincibility before asking them to spar.

There wasn't much time to dwell on it; Halt wasn't done yet.

"We'd best be moving. Merron, you'll need to return to your fief. Crowley wants the army alerted and mobilized. Orders will be distributed in a few minutes."

Merron hesitated on the way back to his campsite.

"What about you four?"

Will tensed under her hand, sensing the same fate she did.

"We're going after the Kalkara."

* * *

><p>Tying her pack to Storm's saddle, Allie cooed gently as Shadow bristled nervously against her neck.<p>

Ever since Halt had said they were gong after the Kalkara, both horse and cat had felt their mistress' anxiety and reacted accordingly.

Shadow was looking out for danger, keyed-up and tense as a spring, while Storm stayed close to Allie's side, ready to carry the girl away from any threat that presented itself.

Tilting her head towards Will when she heard a pause in his own packing, she bumped him gently with her shoulder.

"Something on your mind?"

"…Do you think we're ready for this?"

Hands on her hips, Allie cocked her head to one side in thought.

"Probably not as ready as Halt would like." She admitted.

"But I think we can handle it."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because we're not alone."

When Will didn't reply, Allie figured it was best to elaborate.

"Besides having Halt and Gilan there to keep us out of danger, you've still got me there to watch out for you."

"Like with the boar?" Will replied, sounding more at ease.

"Exactly like with the boar. If those Kalkara try to hurt you or Halt, I'll give them a taste of my fist instead."

Despite what Halt had said about the nightmarish creatures, Will knew, somehow, that Allie would do just that.


	12. Chapter 12

"Halt, where do you hope to find the Kalkara?" Will questioned, catching Allie's attention after hours of silence.

Storm, being led after roughly forty minutes at a steady canter, jerked her head to the right.

Responding to the signal, the red-haired apprentice turned to her right, following Will's footsteps into the grove of trees.

Rubbing behind Shadow's ears as she dropped the reins, Allie stepped closer to pat Storm's neck.

Neighing softly, the mare nuzzled her girl's shoulder before going to join her friends.

"The best way I can think of is to start at their lair and see if they're in the vicinity." Halt said in answer to Will's question.

"Do we know where that is?" Gilan asked.

"Best intelligence we have is that it's somewhere on the Solitary Plain, beyond the Stone Flutes. We'll scout around that area and see what we can find. If they're in the area, we should find that the odd sheep or goat is going missing from villages nearby. Although getting the villagers themselves to talk will be another matter. Plainspeople are a closemouthed bunch at the best of times."

"What's this Plain you're talking about? And what on Earth is a Stone Flu-?"

Will half-choked on his mouthful of hard bread thanks to Allie's elbow, and muttered an apology for talking with his mouth full at her irritated expression.

Halt chose to ignore the display, knowing that their antics were born from nervousness.

"The Solitary Plain is a vast flat area-very few trees, mainly covered in rocky outcrops and long grass. The wind seems to always be blowing, no matter what time of year you go there. It's a dismal, depressing place and the Stone Flutes are the most dismal part of it."

"But what are…?"

Halt was quick to answer Will's question before it was asked.

"The Stone Flutes? Nobody really knows. They're a circle of standing stones built by the ancients, smack in the middle of the windiest part of the Plain. Nobody has ever worked out their original purpose, but they're arranged in such a way that the wind is deflected around the circle, and through a series of holes in the stones themselves. They create a constant keening sound, although why anyone thought they sounded like flutes is beyond me. The sound is eerie and discordant and you can hear it from kilometers away. After a few minutes, it sets your teeth on edge-and it goes on and on for hours."

It reminded Allie of the sound her father's nail had made on a chalkboard as punishment for her wandering attention.

Her teeth ached at the very memory, ears ringing at the remembered pain, and Allie rubbed her jaw subconsciously.

This was going to be a _long_ trip…

"Cheer up." Halt voiced, clapping both his apprentices on the shoulder.

"Nothing's ever as bad as it sounds. Now let's get some rest."

* * *

><p>Resisting the urge to grind her teeth as a raw, persistent wind ground over her nerves like claws, Allie guessed they were nearing the edge of the Solitary Plain.<p>

Even Storm, who normally responded only to danger, stepped more cautiously as the Plain's very presence weighed down on them, stifling all sound besides the wind.

"Now you can see why they call it the Solitary Plain." Halt voiced, most likely addressing Gilan and Will if his use of 'see' was any indication.

"When you ride out into this damned wind, you feel as if you're the only person left alive on Earth."

Patting the pony's neck and whispering comforting words into the alert ear, Allie urged Storm to catch up with the others as Shadow bristled at her neck like a scratchy scarf.

A sound made itself known to her roughly half an hour later, making her muscles coil like agitated snakes.

The harsh combination of notes was a counterpoint to the constant wind as it rustled through the grass like a lean-muscled predator, attacking her calm more effectively than any insult ever had.

Shadow's claws pricked at the sensitive skin of Allie's neck, and only retracted them at a sharp rebuke.

The feline was definitely on-edge; she normally would have pulled in her claws immediately at the first sign of pain.

Twitching her head towards Will as the metallic jingle of stirrups sliced through her annoyed concentration, Allie frowned in confusion.

Was something wrong?

"You've noticed them." Halt stated at the boy's movement.

"It's the Stones."

Unfortunately for Allie, that was when they got within normal earshot of the Stone Flutes.

Grinding her teeth at the unbearable noise, she pressed the heel of her hand into an ear to somehow lessen the ache.

"Are you alright?" Gilan worried, bringing Blaze back to be level with her mare's right shoulder.

"I'm fine." Allie forced out, head beginning to pound.

"Cover your ears with this." Halt ordered, having dropped back to press a soft bundle into her hands.

"It should protect your ears from the noise."

Curious now, she unrolled the cloth and spread it over her lap, Storm not once breaking stride since her rider kept perfect balance.

The cloth was rather thick, but soft, and square in shape, each side roughly two hand-spans long.

Two opposite corners, an inch from the edges, were ovals of stiff leather and padded cotton.

"What is it?" Allie wondered, smoothing out any wrinkles in the fabric.

Taking the cloth back, Halt began to fold it in a specific pattern.

"Take off your hood."

Obeying immediately, Allie resisted the instinct to flinch away as the cloth was tied around her head.

The folds cushioned the leather and cotton over her ears, and held Allie's hair back while camouflaging the distinctive color.

With the Stone Flutes' mournful song muffled to a bearable level, the red-haired apprentice smiled towards her mentor.

"Thanks."

Halt grunted softly in reply, once again disarmed by the crack in her temperamental armor.

Unseen by his companions, Gilan smiled fondly at his old mentor and his spitfire apprentice.

_Some things never change…_

* * *

><p>"We'll rest for the night." Halt announced a few hours later.<p>

"It's almost impossible to maintain a constant course in the dark. Without any significant land features to set a course by, we could easily wind up going around in circles."

Letting out a tired breath, Allie pat her pony's neck and adjusted the bandana over her ears.

The Stone Flutes' song had gotten louder over the hours, but the cloth had it muffled enough to keep Allie from snapping.

Sliding down from the saddle, the lone female of the group stretched out her sore leg muscles before unloading her pack.

Flicking Shadow's ear, Allie listened carefully as the feline jumped from inside her cloak and slunk into the tall grass.

"No fire." Halt warned.

"We'd be visible for miles and we have no idea who might be watching."

The sound of scavenging paused, and then wood clattered to the ground.

"You mean the Kalkara?" Will ventured uneasily.

"Them, or Plainspeople. We can't be sure that some of them aren't in league with the Kalkara. After all, living cheek by jowl with creatures like that, you might well end up cooperating with them, just to ensure your own safety. And we don't want them getting word that there are strangers on the Plain."

A saddle was dropped onto the dry grass, and then Gilan joined the conversation.

"You don't think we've been seen already?"

"…We might have been. There are just too many unknowns here-like where the Kalkara actually have their lair, whether or not the Plainspeople are their allies, whether or not any of them have seen us and reported our presence. But until I know we have been seen, we'll assume we haven't. So, no fire."

"You're right, of course." Gilan admitted.

"It's just I'd happily kill someone for a cup of coffee."

"Light a fire to brew it, and you might end up having to do just that."

Sensing that was the inevitable outcome to having a warm camp, Allie deflated as Shadow returned to her lap.

"Might as well make the most of it, then."

"Easy for _you_ to say. _You_ get a living pillow that follows you everywhere." Will mock-complained.

Mouth twisting up into a smirk, she caught the boy in the shin with the heel of her foot.

"Don't be such a big baby. Now get out the cold rations before we all die from hunger."


	13. Chapter 13

They passed within a kilometer of the Stone Flutes by midmorning the next day, and it's depressing song was grating on Allie's last nerve.

"Next flute player I meet, I'm going to split his lip for him." Gilan joked grimly, the sound wearing through his cheerful demeanor like water would erode rock.

"I'll hold him down for you." Allie agreed, scratching Shadow's chin to distract herself.

There was a rustle of grass, out of tune with the wind, and her head snapped towards the disturbance a moment before the feline hissed in warning.

Whatever it was rushed away after a handful of seconds, and she could only guess that it was a Plainsperson.

"May mean nothing, or maybe he's off to tell the Kalkara. But we can hardly kill him on suspicion." Halt reasoned, and Will put a hand on her forearm, where Allie had gripped the hilt of her throwing knife.

Releasing the weapon, she shrugged off his curiosity as Shadow settled once more.

Gilan let out a short bark of laughter, releasing the tension the Plainsperson's sudden appearance had created.

"I suppose there's no difference whether we find the Kalkara or they find us."

Halt's voice was devoid of humor when he replied.

"Believe me, Gilan, there's a big difference."

* * *

><p>Most of the afternoon was spent walking the horses, allowing them to travel unburdened by the weight of their rider.<p>

Vibrating her mane like Ranger's horses often did, Storm rested her head on Allie's shoulder and nuzzled her neck, nickering good-naturedly when she disturbed a cranky Shadow's cat-nap.

As the feline settled on the other side of Allie's neck, the red-haired apprentice Ranger scratched Storm's forelock gently.

Smiling at the deep, appreciative sound the mare let rumble out of her barrel-shaped chest, Allie swung back into the settle.

"Halt?"

Recognizing the usual opening to one of Will's questions, Allie turned her attention back to the group.

"Why do you think Morgarath enlisted the Kalkara? What does he stand to gain?"

Allie was interested to know why as well, though she had a vague idea, and urged Storm closer.

"Who knows why Morgarath ever does anything? I can't give you a definite answer. All I can tell you is what I assume-and what Crowley thinks as well."

Halt paused, most likely marshalling his thoughts.

"There's a war coming. That much is already obvious. The Wargals are on the move and we've heard that Morgarath has been in contact with Ragnak."

Confusion must have crossed Will's face as well as her own, since the Ranger went on to explain who Ragnak was.

"Ragnak is the Oberjarl, or supreme lord, if you like, of the Skandians-the sea wolves."

That rang a bell, a tidbit of information shared in the taproom years ago, and Allie nodded her understanding.

"This is obviously going to be a bigger war than we've fought before and we're going to need all our resources-and our best commanders to lead us. I think that's what Morgarath has in mind. He's seeking to weaken us by having the Kalkara kill our leaders. Northolt, the supreme army commander, and Lorriac, our best cavalry commander, have gone already. Certainly there will be other men who will step into those positions, but there will inevitably be some confusion in the changeover period, some loss of cohesion. I think that's what's behind Morgarath's plan."

"There's another aspect as well." Gilan voiced thoughtfully.

"Both those men were instrumental in his defeat last time. He's destroying our command structure and getting revenge at the same time."

"That's true, of course. And to a twisted mind like Morgarath's, revenge is a powerful motive."

"So you think there will be more assassinations?" Allie wondered, leg bouncing nervously in the stirrup.

"I think there'll be more attempts. Morgarath has sent them out twice with targets and they've succeeded. I don't see any reason why they won't go after others. Morgarath has reason to hate a lot of people in the kingdom. The King himself, perhaps. Or maybe Baron Arald-he caused Morgarath some grief in the last war."

Cold fear rushed down Allie's spine at the thought those words brought to mind.

_You caused him to _lose _the last war_.

Will had told her about what Baron Arald told him at the Harvest Day Festival, and now Allie found it difficult to breathe.

Halt _could be the next target_.

A hand took hold of her wrist and squeezed, breaking panic's hold on her heart.

Taking comfort from Will's presence, she focused in on the conversation again.

"One thing I don't understand." Gilan admitted.

"Why do the Kalkara keep returning to their hideout? Why not just move from one victim to the next?"

"I suppose that's one of the few advantages we do have. They're savage and merciless and more intelligent than Wargals. But they're not human. They are totally single-minded. Show them a victim and they'll hunt him-or her-down and kill them or die themselves in the attempt. But they can only keep track of one victim at a time. Between killings, they'll return to their lair. Then Morgarath-or one of his underlings-will prime them for the next victim and they'll head out again. Our best hope is to intercept them on the way if they've been given a new target. Or kill them in their lair if they haven't."

Knowing that these dangerous beasts were out there somewhere, Allie felt adrenaline flood her system and dilate her pupils, despite their useless state.

"Sun's going down." Halt noted, interrupting everyone's thoughts.

"We may as well camp here."

Swinging down stiffly from the saddle, she loosened the girth strap and stretched out her back with a pop.

"That's one thing about this blasted place. One spot is as good as another to camp. Or as bad." Gilan said ruefully.

Allie's answering smirk was tired.

"Story of my life."

* * *

><p>Allie was the first one to wake up that night, though she didn't know why at first.<p>

Curled up in her cloak, she softened her breathing and pulled the cloth from her ears to hear what had disturbed her slumber.

Maybe it was nothing.

Halt would have noticed if something-

The hair along her arms stood on-end as a deep, bestial howl was carried to her ears over the grass.

_The Kalkara_.

Not wanting to cause more noise, lest she miss hearing the beasts' approach, she reached around in the grass with her left hand…

Halt grunted as a pebble connected with his head, and Allie couldn't help the smile that crossed her face.

"What?" He whispered gruffly, not wanting to disturb anyone else's sleep just yet.

"I hear them."

There was no need to explain who 'they' were; Halt knew she wouldn't have bothered him for just anything.

"Which direction?"

Furrowing her brow in concentration, her skin prickled as another howl, higher-pitched than the last, caught her ear.

"That way." She deduced, pointing to the source while picturing a compass.

"North, north-east."

Listening closely to the dimming howls as Halt woke the others, Allie drummed her fingers on the hilt of her saxe knife as Shadow huddled against her chest with a hiss.

Storm snorted nervously, fidgeting from foot to foot and vibrating her mane.

_Guess I'm not the only one who can hear them_.

"There it is again." Halt whispered once Will was awake, and Shadow's hissing died down as the deep howls floated to them once again, answering each other.

"They have a new target and they're hunting."

Gilan moved, most likely to saddle Blaze, but Halt's voice stopped the Ranger in his tracks.

"I'm not going after those things in the dark. We'll wait till first light, then look for their tracks."

It didn't matter to Allie either way (she could hear the Kalkara no matter what time of day it was), but she was more than happy to wait.

She wasn't ready to face the Kalkara, not yet.

Standing up as the bestial howls died away, Allie pulled the cloth off her head.

"I'll stay up, make sure they don't turn back."

"You're not going to sleep?" Will worried, already sounding half-asleep.

"I can take it." She assured, smiling.

"I'm a big girl."

Moving away from the cold campsite, she hunkered down in some shrubbery, running a hand over Shadow's back while tuning out the dying song of the Stone Flutes.

_Like hell I'm letting those things get the drop on us_, she thought fiercely.

_They'll have to go through _me _first_.

* * *

><p>Fighting down a yawn, Allie pinched her inner arm to stay fully awake as the group searched for whatever tracks the Kalkara had left.<p>

Shadow was perched on Storm's head, both animals on high-alert, and she wondered if a creature could explode from tension.

Storm pulled up next to Tug when the others stopped, and Shadow's hiss told Allie that they had come upon the right trail.

A set of hoofbeats faded off to the left, and then returned after a few minutes.

"There's another set of tracks, a quarter of a kilometer away." Gilan reported.

"…You stay with the second one. Will, Alex and I will follow this one. I want to make sure they both keep heading in the same direction. I don't want one of them doubling back to come behind us."

"You think they know we're here?" Will voiced, nervous despite himself.

"They could. There's been time for that Plainsman we saw to have warned them. Or maybe it's just coincidence and they're heading out on their next mission. They certainly seem to have a purpose."

Halt directed his next words towards Gilan.

"In any event, keep your eyes peeled and pay close attention to Blaze. The horses will sense these beasts before we will. We don't want to run into an ambush."

Allie couldn't agree more, and pulled the bandana down to hang around her neck.

Now that the wind was carrying the Stone Flutes' song in the opposite direction, it was safe for her to use her full hearing.

"I'll keep an eye on the trail. You keep an eye on Gilan, just in case." Halt told Will.

"And keep your ears open, Alex. You'll be the first one to notice the Kalkara are close."

Raising a brow, Allie shrugged self-consciously.

"If you say so."


	14. Chapter 14

Swinging down from the saddle, Allie released a teeth-muffled moan as her aching muscles were stretched.

After two straight days in the saddle, keyed-up and tense in case the Kalkara came within earshot, and fighting off a headache from the Stone Flutes, she was ready to rip through the beasts with her bare hands if it meant going home.

Patting Storm's forelock in thanks, the young apprentice Ranger lifted Shadow from between the pony's ears and cradled the sleepy feline to her chest as she joined the others.

"Judging from their tracks, we've made up some time on them." Halt informed.

"But they're still a good half day ahead of us. Now, this is the direction they're following."

There was a slight shuffling as something moved across paper.

"As you can see, if they keep going in this direction, there are only two places of any significance that they could be heading for. Here-the Gorlan Ruins. Or farther north, Castle Araluen itself."

Gilan let out a sharp breath.

"Castle Araluen? You don't think they'd dare try for King Duncan?"

"…I simply don't know. We don't know nearly enough about these beasts and half of what we think we know is probably myth and legend. But you've got to admit, it would be a bold stroke-a masterstroke-and Morgarath has never been averse to that sort of thing."

Rubbing under Shadow's chin with her knuckles, Allie sat back on her haunches, brow furrowed in thought.

_What's he planning? _

"Now, I've been thinking. Look, here's Castle Redmont. Perhaps a day's ride away-and then another day to here. One person, riding hard, and using two horses, could make it in less than a day to Redmont, and then lead the Baron and Sir Rodney here, to the Ruins. If the Kalkara keep moving at the pace they are, we might just be able to intercept them there. It'll be close, but it's possible. And with two warriors like Arald and Rodney on hand, we'll stand a far better chance of stopping the damn things once and for all."

"One moment, Halt. You said one person, riding two horses?" Gilan voiced, reluctant.

"That's right, Gilan. And the lightest one among us will travel fastest. I want you to turn Blaze over to Will. If he alternates between Tug and your horse, he can do it in time."

"I could do it." Allie insisted, a frown tugging at her mouth.

"I'm a lot lighter than Will is, and Storm can go on longer than Tug."

"And how do you plan on finding your way to Redmont by yourself?"

"I could-."

Will took hold of her forearm and squeezed, redirecting her irritation before Halt decided to take action.

"It's alright, Allie. You need to stay with Halt."

"…"

Huffing, Allie nodded, crossing her arms grumpily.

"Fine…"

With the disagreement resolved, it was time for Gilan's approval of Halt's plan.

"…I suppose it makes sense." Gilan admitted, absorbing the situation fully.

"So what do you want me to do?"

"Follow behind us on foot." Halt replied briskly, and an accompanying rustle of paper meant he was rolling up the chart.

"If you can get hold of a horse anywhere, do so and catch up. Otherwise, we'll rendezvous at Gorlan. If we miss the Kalkara there, Will can wait for you-with Blaze. Me and Alex will keep following the Kalkara until you all catch up."

There was a silent agreement, and then a rueful retort from Gilan.

"I thought you said my sword might come in handy?"

"I did, but this gives me a chance to bring in two fully armored knights, with axes and lances. And you know that's the best way to fight the Kalkara."

"True."

Gilan went over to Blaze, doing something with the reins, and Allie stood as Shadow crawled into the hood of her cloak.

"You may as well start out on Tug. That'll give Blaze a chance to rest. She'll follow behind you without a lead rein and so will Tug when you're riding Blaze. Tie the reins up like this on Tug's neck so they don't dangle down and snag anything."

There was a slight pause, as if Gilan had just remembered something important.

"Oh yes, before you mount her the first time, remember to say Brown Eyes."

"Brown Eyes." Will echoed, storing the information away.

"Not to me. To the horse." The young Ranger joked, and the frown eased off Allie's face as some of the tension dissipated.

"Will? You're confident you can find your way to Redmont?"

"…Northwest." The boy said in answer, indicating the direction he had chosen.

"You'll strike the Salmon River before dusk, that will give you a good reference point. And the main highway is just a little way west of the river. Keep to a steady canter all the way. Don't try to race the horses-you'll just tire them out that way and you'll be slower in the long run. Travel safely now."

Quickly embracing Will, and squeezing his ribs for good measure, Allie swung up into Storm's saddle, urging to pony to Abelard's side as Gilan whispered a command into Blaze's ear.

"Halt?" Will voiced, preparing for one last question.

"The Gorlan Ruins…What exactly are they?"

"It's ironic, isn't it? They're the ruins of Castle Gorlan, Morgarath's former fiefdom."

* * *

><p>Shadow paced restlessly along her shoulders like a disturbed spirit, and Allie's bouncing leg caused a jangle of metal to echo in the silence.<p>

"Halt?"

The Ranger grunted in reply, and she gnawed on her lip nervously.

"Do you think I'm ready?"

"…"

Letting out a sigh, Halt placed a hand on her head, ruffling her curls through the camouflage.

"What makes you think you're not ready?"

"Do you want the list or the summary?"

Pushing her head down in place of smacking her, Halt pulled his hand back so she could readjust the bandana on her hair.

"…Do you remember the boar hunt?"

"I'm blind, not amnesiac." She replied, frowning.

"What does the boar hunt have to do with the Kalkara?"

"Your reactions to the boar and to the Kalkara are the same."

Her frown turned puzzled, prompting the Ranger to explain.

"You were terrified of facing the boar, but you went after it and killed it with a Hail Mary shot anyway."

"The boar was going to kill Will! I couldn't just-!"

Allie paused, the pieces clicking together.

She had been scared of the boar, but once it had gone after Will…

She hadn't cared if she died saving him.

"That's why I brought you." Halt said once her silence had stretched on for a while.

"It's what makes you a Ranger."

"…Halt?"

Letting out a tired breath, Halt turned to properly pound the fact into her skull-

And then he saw her smile.

"Thanks."

There were times Halt was glad she was blind; knowing Allie couldn't see him blush kept his pride intact.

* * *

><p>Storm suddenly pulled to a stop, and Allie was jolted out of her intent listening by the jolt.<p>

Immediately pulling her senses back in, she noticed Shadow's nervousness and Halt's tense silence.

Though the Ranger was normally quiet, it had a different aura now, as if he was ready for attack…

"Halt? What's wrong?"

"…The Kalkara have changed course."

A tingle of anxiety tickled her spine.

"They're hunting me now."


	15. Chapter 15

Perched on a crumbling outer wall of the Gorlan Ruins, Allie kept an ear out for the Kalkara while Halt went about making a bonfire and torches.

Crouched by her knee was Shadow, whose twitching tail belied the nervous energy the motionless feline must have felt.

Then again, Allie was no better…

"Alex."

Practically jumping out of her skin, Allie turned to her mentor and frowned.

"Follow me."

Confused, and slightly irritated, she followed Halt deeper into the Ruins, clambering over decaying walls and stepping around shattered tiles with Shadow as her guide.

"What are we doing?" Allie wondered, gingerly toeing around what felt like a broken bottle.

"Shouldn't we be getting ready to face the Kalkara?"

"I am."

The implications of that were too great, and she immediately stopped.

"I'm fighting them with you."

"No, you're not."

"_Yes_, I _am_."

Sometimes, Halt _hated_ that Allie was so stubborn…

"_No_, you're _not_."

A strong hand took hold of her wrist, and, despite the brunette digging in her heels, dragged her into a run-down room overlooking the main 'courtyard'.

Allie knew this was because of the fire crackling from a torch somewhere below them on her left.

Halt pulled her to the far corner, and his tone left no room for discussion.

"You will be staying _right here_ until it's over."

"But-."

"This isn't a debate."

Frustrated beyond belief, Allie's fists clenched in an attempt to keep from striking out.

"So I'm just going to sit up here and do nothing?"

Tears stung the corners of her eyes, but Allie ignored them in her furious state.

"Alex-."

"What am I going to tell Will if you die?"

It had been so long since Allie had heard silence, and it was trying to strangle her.

"I promised him that I'd look after you, damn it!"

Rubbing at her eyes in a vain attempt to keep from crying, she subdued a sniffle when Halt put a hand on her shoulder.

"There isn't anything you can do against the Kalkara. Just stay here."

Knowing that he was right, Allie nodded and hugged Shadow to her chest as he ruffled her hair.

"Don't move."

Putting her back to a corner, she slid down until she was seated snugly in the little crevice, Shadow hissing deeply against her neck…

* * *

><p>When the Kalkara arrived, Allie was the first to notice.<p>

With nothing to do but sit tight and wait, she couldn't help but notice a disturbance in the forest sounds she had been studying.

The Kalkara were significantly large, if the crunch of their feet on the grass and twigs was any indication, and the redhead could hear them snuffling around like bloodhounds.

_Searching for their prey._

That protective instinct was growing, a hot coal in her chest, as the beasts drew closer to the Ruins-

And to Halt.

_Breathe, Allie. _Breathe_. Halt will be fine._

She was never very good at lying to herself.

The hunting cries of the Kalkara made fear coil in her gut, but the fire in her chest only burned hotter.

All she heard next was the familiar 'TWANG' of a bowstring in rapid-fire succession, and the strange screech of an arrowhead coming in contact with something like armor.

Resisting the urge to cover her ears, Allie curled into herself, one hand on her saxe knife and the other holding Shadow to her chest.

It felt like hours before she realized there was nothing to hear anymore.

Straining her ears, Allie felt like she couldn't breathe when all she could hear was the Kalkara, one wounded in the courtyard and the other sniffing around further off.

_That doesn't mean anything_, she assured herself, heart pounding.

_Halt could be hiding. That's it, he's hiding. Waiting them out until Will gets here with the Baron and Sir Rodney._

Hoping that was the case, Allie ran a hand over Shadow's bristling fur before unsheathing both of her knives.

They were a comforting weight in her palms, and she needed all of the peace she could get.

Creeping to the edge of the 'room' overlooking the courtyard, Allie pulled her hood up in an attempt to stay unnoticed as Shadow paced in front of the girl's knees.

Slowing her breathing, the apprentice Ranger prepared herself for whatever was coming next…

Hoofbeats rang in the near-silence of the Gorlan Ruins, and she twitched as the wounded Kalkara screamed a challenge at the new arrivals.

_Three horses. Two battlehorses and…_

Allie wasn't sure if what tightened her throat was relief or terror.

_Tug._

Weeks of being in close quarters had caused her to memorize the unique gate of all three Ranger horses, though there were only minute differences.

Her grip tightened on the knife-hilts, and Shadow paused in her circuit around her owner's legs.

"Stay." Allie ordered in a whisper.

The feline hissed, unhappy with the command, but hunkered down anyway.

Allie winced as the battlehorse's hoofbeats rose to a deafening crescendo, and a shiver ran down her spine at the Kalkara's death-shriek as it was killed by the charge.

Despite her hate for the Kalkara, she had a soft spot in her heart for animals.

"Halt!"

Will's excited shout startled her, and Allie's head whipped up at the sound of disturbed rubble across from her.

_Halt's alive_, she realized, relief loosening the knot of fear in her throat.

"Get back, Will!" Baron Arald shouted, and Allie's heart picked up its pace again.

"Jump, Halt! Jump!"

Allie nearly leapt up from her hideaway, instinct demanding that she take action, when the Kalkara screamed a challenge that made her blood run cold.

She hesitated, but that protective rage took hold and all of her fear was gone.

…

The Kalkara had thought victory was assured.

Its target was unable to stand, the Baron was in too much pain to even crawl, and the Battlemaster was at the mercy of its hypnotic eyes.

The primitive intelligence that fueled the creature demanded its moment of triumph.

That primitive intelligence led to its downfall.

For the moment the Kalkara raised its blood-streaked face to the sky to scream its victory, a lance of pain shot straight through its jaw and dug into its shoulder.

Jarred to a halt once her saxe knife met suitable resistance, Allie placed her feet on the Kalkara's back as the beast screamed in agony instead of victory.

Yanking back as hard as she could, the apprentice Ranger freed her blade and back-flipped away, flicking her saxe knife to clear away some of the blood.

Knowing that the Kalkara's attention was now fully on her, Allie moved away from her fallen allies slowly, her knives up and at the ready.

Incensed, the Kalkara roared and swung, aiming at the girl's neck for a killing stroke.

Ducking underneath the blow, Allie rolled in and drove her saxe knife up at where she hoped the creature's chest was.

The blade deflected off the scaly armor that was the Kalkara's hair, and Allie cursed as she jumped back to avoid a counterattack.

Without the added force of a twenty-foot drop, her knife would never be able to penetrate.

Furious, the Kalkara lunged forward, screaming when a blade skidded off its sharp fangs, cutting the lips and gums to ribbons as the attack was diverted.

"Will! If you've got any bright ideas on how to kill this thing, I'd really love to know!"

The saxe knife's blade skidded across the Kalkara's claws, but the sharp tips still caught her left shoulder.

Wincing at the sharp pain as blood soaked the torn fabric of her cloak, Allie cried out when she was bodily lifted off the ground.

The Kalkara roared its outrage into her face, and Allie's ears rang with the sound as her lips curled into a snarl.

"Take _this_."

With that, her throwing knife slammed into the creature's eye.

Going wild with pain, the Kalkara threw her away, forcing Allie to release her weapon as it tried to claw the offending thing out.

Landing heavily on her back, Allie took a moment to regain her breath before rolling to her feet.

"Now would be nice, Will!"

Will was probably having a panic attack thinking of a way to save her; he better be, or Allie was going to have a serious talk with that boy…

Searing _agony_ tore open her right arm; Allie had only felt pain like that when a boy had taken an unsharpened knife and ripped open her back.

Biting back a scream, she knocked a second strike away with her saxe knife.

With only one arm left to defend herself with, Allie knew her chances of survival were dwindling quickly.

"Alex! Get down!"

Dropping to the ground in a moment, she heard the familiar sound of an arrow being released and strike what sounded like armor.

The only difference was the crackle of flames as the Kalkara screeched in terror.

Pulling her injured arm in, Allie curled around the appendage and tried to block out the monster's dying screams.

It felt like hours before the sound died, and the Kalkara was dead.

* * *

><p>The audience hall was full of people, and Allie <em>really<em> wanted to be back fighting that Kalkara again.

"Get on with it." Halt muttered, pushing gently on her back.

The Ranger had refrained from hitting her since she had woken up at a healer's, shoulder and arm heavily bandaged from her battle.

Halt had _not_ been happy about her rashness, but could not argue that her actions had saved his life.

"Get a move on!" Halt hissed, shoving at her back now.

"Aren't you coming with us?" Will asked, as nervous of the crowd as she was.

"Not invited. Now get going!"

With one last shove, Halt limped to a seat; his leg was probably bothering him again, though Allie doubted he would admit it.

Taking hold of Will's wrist in order to ease both of their nerves, Allie tugged him down the aisle that led to the Baron.

Will gripped her wrist in return, seeking comfort as the people around them muttered, whispering their names from one ear to another.

Then the clapping started.

It was soft at first, from only one set of hands, but spread rapidly throughout the entire hall as everyone joined in, making a thundering sound that rattled her bones.

Shadow hissed at the noise, but made no move to bare her teeth or bristle; almost as if the feline understood that the people meant no harm.

Feeling Will stop and drop to one knee, Allie immediately followed suit, bowing her head forward as Halt had instructed them.

Baron Arald must have signaled for silence, since the clapping died down to echoes before he spoke.

"Stand up, both of you."

Doing so, Allie repressed a wince when the Baron put a hand on her shoulder and turned her toward the crowd.

Shadow flicked her tail in distaste, but at least made no move to bite the man.

"This is Will and Alex. Apprentices to the Ranger Halt of this fiefdom. See them now and know them, all of you. They have proven their fidelity, courage and initiative to this fief and to the Kingdom of Araluen."

Arald's words may have filled the room, but not to the same extent as the clapping and cheers that followed.

Allie felt him wince as he signaled for silence, most likely aggravating his wounds.

"Alex." He began once the noise had died down.

"I owe you my life first for your bravery in attacking the Kalkara. If there is ever anything I can do for you, anything at all, don't hesitate to ask."

Heat rushed to her cheeks at the thanks, and she ducked her head.

"I won't, my lord."

The Baron pat her uninjured shoulder in understanding before turning to Will.

"Will, I owe you my life second for finding a way to kill the Kalkara. There can be no thanks adequate for that. However, it is in my power to grant you a wish that you once made of me."

"A wish, sir?" Will replied, puzzled.

"I made a mistake, Will. You asked me if you could train as a warrior. It was your wish to become one of my knights and I refused you."

Something like dread filled Allie's chest as she realized what was being offered to her friend.

"Now, I can rectify that mistake. It would do me honor to have one so brave and resourceful as one of my knights. Say the word now and you have my permission to transfer to the Battleschool as one of Sir Rodney's apprentices."

"My lord, it was I who refused this boy as an apprentice, as you know. Now, I want all here to know that I was wrong to do so. I, my knights and my apprentices all agree that there could be no more worthy member of the Battleschool than Will!"

A great uproar rose from the knights and Battleschool apprentices, but Allie barely heard them.

_It's Will's dream to become a knight. Like his father._

Tears burned at her eyes despite her attempts to keep them at bay.

_It won't be the same if he leaves…_

Fighting down the urge to scream, Allie clenched her hands into fists.

_No, that's not fair to Will. It doesn't matter how much it'll kill me inside, I won't stop him._

Even with the knowledge that, without Will, she would likely never become a full-fledged Ranger, she could not bring herself to hold him back.

A familiar grip settled on her uninjured wrist, and Allie turned her head towards Will.

She could sense his inner conflict, and managed a smile, squeezing his wrist in return.

The gesture said '_no matter what you choose, I'll be there for you_', and that seemed to be enough.

Will turned to the Baron and said the words she had never expected to hear.

"I am a Ranger, my lord."

Allie's heart was filled to bursting as murmurs of surprise filled the audience hall.

"Are you sure, Will? Don't turn this down just because you think Halt might be offended or disappointed. He insisted that this is up to you. He's already agreed to abide by your decision."

"I thank you for the honor, my lord. And I thank the Battlemaster and his knights for their generous offer. But I am a Ranger."

There was a beat of hesitation, and Will's grip tightened; Allie was still his rock in uncertain moments.

"I mean no offense by this, my lord."

"And I take none, Will. None at all! Your loyalty to your craft and your Craftmaster does honor to you and to all of us who know you!"

Once the boy was released, both apprentice Ranger's bowed, heading back down the aisle as the clapping started up again.

"Allie?"

"Hm?"

"…What would you have done if I didn't choose to be a Ranger?"

"…"

She squeezed his wrist tight, an expression of long-suffering pain flitting across her features.

"…I wouldn't have stopped you, Will."

"…Yeah."

His grip tightened in return.

"I know."

* * *

><p>Running her fingers over the metal oak leaf hanging around her neck, Allie leaned back into Storm's warm side, Shadow napping peacefully across her lap.<p>

Nickering softly, the pony nudged her cheek as if to ask what she was thinking about.

"It's nothing." Allie assured, scratching the mare's forelock in apology.

"Just thinking, that's all."

She heard the faintest of footsteps.

"About what, exactly?"

Turning her head towards Halt, Allie tried not to look guilty.

"You know, about…things."

It was clear Halt didn't buy that excuse, since he was soon sitting next to her in Storm's stall.

"What's wrong? And if I don't get an answer, I'll tan your backside for making me ask."

Allie had to smile at the familiar gruffness, despite her dark thoughts.

"It's just…Do you think I'd ever become a Ranger without Will?"

"…"

Halt promptly smacked her upside the head, and she winced at the old pain.

"Do you know why I picked you to be my apprentice?"

Allie paused, and eventually shook her head in the negative.

"Because you're as stubborn as a donkey, with a head just as thick."

"_Hey_-!"

"But you're also fiercely loyal to your friends, and braver than anyone else I know."

The irritation immediately dissipated, and Allie couldn't help the tears stinging at her eyes.

"…Really?"

Halt placed a hand on her head, his version of a smile for her.

"Never doubt yourself. Will doesn't."

Feeling warm inside now, Allie nodded, clutching the oak leaf in her hands like it was the most precious of jewels…


	16. Chapter 16

Allie was getting tired of tracking dangerous creatures across Araluen.

Though the Wargals were a bit less dangerous than Kalkara, she hated being keyed up for long periods of time.

Not only did it give her a migraine, but then she would most likely have to risk her neck somehow to save everyone from certain death.

Sure, that had only happened once, but she sensed that it was going to become a pattern…

"Where could they have come from, Halt?" Will asked.

"Surely we've got Three Step Pass well and truly bottled up by now."

"That's the only place where they can come in sizable numbers." Halt agreed.

"But a small party like this could slip into the kingdom by way of the barrier cliffs."

"I thought those cliffs were impassable." Allie voiced, scratching underneath Shadow's chin as the cat returned from its self-imposed patrol.

"Nowhere is ever really impassable. Particularly if you have no respect for how many lives you lose trying to prove the fact. My guess is that they used ropes and grapnels and waited for a moonless night and bad weather. That way, they could slip past the border patrols."

Nodding in agreement, and not doubting for a moment that Morgarath would sacrifice his forces to prove anything, Allie stood up along with her companions.

Shadow climbed up into her hood as the red-haired girl mounted Storm, who tossed her head and nickered in greeting.

Patting the mare's neck in return, Allie turned her head towards Halt as he continued speaking.

"My main concern isn't where they came from. It's where they're heading, and what they have in mind."

Allie's head whipped around as a shout reached her ears, following on the tail-end of Halt's words.

Grunting and the clash of weapons was not far behind, and she immediately pulled her bow from its resting place across her lap.

"And we may be about to find out!"

Storm set off at a gallop from the get-go, not wasting time with the in-between, and Allie kept a tight grip on the pommel with her free hand to keep from flying off.

She trusted Storm to pick the best route and follow the others.

The mare came to a sudden stop, giving a sharp neigh to warn her rider of danger, and Allie immediately pulled an arrow from her quiver to nock on the bowstring.

From the snarling and shuffling, she guessed there were four Wargals to deal with, along with what sounded like a terrified man that seemed to be their prey.

"Stand back! I'm on a mission for Lord Morgarath. Stand back, I order you! I order you in Lord Morgarath's name!"

Those words struck Allie as odd; the man sounded sincere, but why would the Wargals be attacking him if he was on Morgarath's side?

"Drop your weapons! All of you!" Halt shouted.

There was a sudden break in the fighting, but Shadow gave a warning hiss that had Allie drawing the arrow back.

A spear rammed into something with a meaty 'SMACK', and an arrow struck its own target moments after.

Taking this as the Wargals' refusal to surrender, Allie took aim at the creature charging her way.

Judging size and build instinctively, she fired at the hopefully-unprotected face.

The arrow flew into the Wargal's open mouth and through to the back of its head, killing the beast instantly.

Already turning her attention away from the body as it fell to the ground, she heard Will release an arrow to her left-

And miss.

Instinct kicked in a moment later, and she had fired two rapid-fire shots before Will even had time to retrieve a second arrow.

Both struck the Wargal in the neck, tearing through the throat and pulsing veins at such close range.

Breathing heavily at the sudden heavy rush of adrenaline, Allie heard Will slide out of the saddle and immediately followed suit with Halt.

Ignoring her shaky knees, she rushed to her friend's side, concerned.

"Will?"

"It's all right, Will. It's over now." Halt assured.

"I missed…twice! I panicked and I missed!" Will finally voiced, sounding ashamed.

"There's a big difference between shooting at a target and shooting at a charging Wargal. A target isn't usually trying to kill you."

"But…Allie…"

"Allie's too stupid to be scared sometimes, you know that."

"Okay, now that was just uncalled for." Allie complained, frowning.

"And next time, you won't miss." Halt continued, purposely ignoring her.

"Now you know it's better to fire one good shot than two hurried ones."

With that, the Ranger turned both of his apprentices towards the forgotten campsite; Allie could still smell the smoke of a dying fire, and fresh blood.

"Let's see what we have here."

"Ha, ha. _Very funny_, Halt." Allie replied sarcastically, still testy over the 'she's too stupid to be scared' comment.

Not wanting to deal with Allie's infamous temper, Halt ignored her sarcasm and walked up to the dead bodies nearer the fire.

Refusing to pout like a child, Allie grabbed Will's wrist and squeezed, comforting him silently.

He gripped her wrist tighter than ever before, still ashamed of himself but seeking reassurance.

"Dirk Reacher." Halt muttered, whistling to himself.

"He's the last person I would have expected to see here."

"You know him?" Will asked, his curiosity overcoming the shock.

"I chased him out of the kingdom five or six years ago. He was a coward and a murderer. He deserted from the army and found a place with Morgarath."

Halt paused for a moment in thought.

"Morgarath seems to specialize in recruiting people like him. But what was he doing here…?"

"He said he was on some sort of mission." Allie suggested.

"Unlikely. The Wargals were chasing him and only Morgarath could have ordered them to do that, which he'd hardly do if Reacher really was working for him. My guess is that he was deserting again. He'd run out on Morgarath and the Wargals were sent after him."

Allie had to admit that the idea had some merit, but couldn't quite shake off her own doubts…

"Why?" Will questioned.

"Why desert?"

"There's a war coming. People like Dirk try to avoid that sort of unpleasantness."

Halt began rummaging around in what was probably the dead man's pack.

"Are you looking for anything in particular, or is this just how you snoop through other people's belongings?" Allie voiced, unable to contain a smirk as Halt dumped the contents out instead of venting his irritation by tanning her backside.

"Well, it strikes me that if he were deserting Morgarath and coming back to Araluen, he'd have to bring something to bargain for his freedom. So…"

The Ranger trailed off, and Allie figured that he had found something of interest.

She waited until he was done studying whatever it was he had found and stood up before Will asked the question for her.

"Is it important?"

"Oh, you could say so." Halt replied.

"We appear to have stumbled on Morgarath's battle plans for the coming war. I think we'd better get them back to Redmont."

A soft whistle called the horses up, and Allie swung up into Storm's saddle as Shadow settled on the girl's shoulder, tense.

"What's wrong?" She whispered to the agitated feline, listening for anything out of place.

Shadow meowed softly, almost unsure, before purring against her neck.

Thinking, hoping, that it was just a misunderstanding, Allie urged Storm into a canter to catch up with Halt and Will…


	17. Chapter 17

With a half-stifled yawn, Allie placed the kettle over the hot wood coals, hoping that the water would heat up quickly for some late-night coffee.

If the hoofbeats she had heard were heading towards the cabin, she figured everyone would need a cup.

Shadow purred lazily against her neck, looking for a comfortable spot to continue sleeping in the folds of Allie's cloak.

Measuring out the coffee with careful precision (she wanted to make sure it lasted for as long as she could make it), she tilted her head towards the bedrooms as hinges creaked.

"Sleep well, Halt?"

"I was, until you went gallivanting around the kitchen like a bull through a china shop."

Smiling at the joke, Allie stuck her tongue out at the grumpy Ranger.

"Oh, I'm sure. I don't know _how_ you put up with me."

Halt cuffed her upside the head, mumbling something along the lines of 'I should have listened to Crowley' and 'back-talking little girls'.

Pretending that she hadn't heard him, Allie turned toward the door as the sound of hoofbeats stopped in front of the cabin.

Halt seemed to take the hint, since he lighted a candle as someone stumbled up the first step onto the verandah.

Abelard nickered a greeting from the stable, and another horse answered softly.

_A Ranger horse_, Allie surmised, turning her attention back to the coffee.

The door was opened before the mystery visitor even knocked.

"Gilan, what are you doing here?"

"How do you do it, Halt?" Gilan wondered, laughing incredulously.

"How could you possibly know it was me arriving in the middle of the night, before you'd even opened the door?"

Busy with the coffee, Allie managed to hide her smile as the young Ranger stepped inside.

"I heard your horse some minutes ago. Then, when I heard Abelard call a greeting, I knew it had to be a Ranger horse."

"Well, that narrowed it down to fifty people, didn't it?"

"Gilan, I must have heard you stumbling up that front step a thousand times when you were studying with me. Give me credit for recognizing that sound once more."

"Well, then why is she up?"

"You were bumbling through the woods like a drunk bear." Allie informed, grinning at her joke.

"Forgive me for being woken up by the ruckus."

Gilan laughed, ruffling her hair, before unclasping his cloak and hanging it up by the door.

"Well, as long as your up, how about some coffee?"

Allie flipped him 'the bird', but continued with her work; there was a reason why she was the only one allowed to make coffee nowadays.

A bedroom door opened, squeaking on the hinges, and she hid a grin in Shadow's fur as the feline wrapped itself around her neck.

"Evening, Gilan. What brings you here?"

She smothered a laugh at Will's attempt to act casual, knowing that he had only woken up a few minutes ago.

"Isn't anybody surprised when I turn up in the middle of the night?" Gilan practically whined.

"Trust me, someone was surprised." Allie assured, snickering at Will's put-out huff as she put four hot mugs of coffee on the table.

Settling down in a seat, she dodged a kick in the shin from Will and landed one on his knee.

Pretending she didn't notice his yelp of pain, she cradled Shadow in her arms as the cat dozed off.

"Very well, Gilan, before my apprentices explode with curiosity, what is the reason for this unexpected visit?"

"Well, it has to do with those battle plans you discovered last week. Now that we know what Morgarath has in mind, the King wants the army ready on the Plains of Uthal before the dark of the next moon. That's when Morgarath plans to break out through Three Step Pass."

"So Duncan plans to beat him to the punch." Halt said.

"Good thinking. That way we control the battlefield."

"And we'll keep Morgarath's army bottled up in the Pass." Will agreed, equally grave.

Allie nearly choked on her coffee with laughter at his attempts to mimic Halt.

With a few slaps on her back, courtesy of Gilan, she regained control of herself.

"I don't think that's the plan, Will." She admitted, still smiling.

"Once the army's in place, Duncan plans to withdraw the garrison, then fall back to prepared positions and let Morgarath out onto the Plains." Gilan agreed, impressed by her deduction.

"Let him out? Is the King crazy? Why would-?"

Will seemed to realize that calling the King 'crazy' might not be the wisest of moves…

"I mean…No offense or anything like that. It's just-."

"Oh, I'm sure the King wouldn't be offended to hear that a lowly apprentice Ranger thought he was crazy." Halt replied sarcastically.

"Kings usually love to hear that sort of thing."

"But Halt…to let him out, after all these years? It seems…"

"That's just the point, Will-after all these years. We've spent sixteen years looking over our shoulders at Morgarath, wondering what he's up to. In that time, we've had many of our forces tied up patrolling the base of the cliffs and keeping watch over Three Step Pass. And he's been free to strike at us any time he likes. The Kalkara were the latest example, as you know only too well."

Allie could practically feel the Kalkara's claws in her arm just from the memory, and rubbed at the healing wound left behind from her life-or-death battle with the beast.

"Halt's right, Will. And there's another reason. After sixteen years of relative peace, people are growing complacent. Not the Rangers, of course, but the village people who provide men-at-arms for our army, and even some of the barons and Battlemasters in remote fiefs to the north." Gilan voiced.

"You've seen for yourselves how reluctant some people are to leave their farms and go to war." Halt reminded.

Remembering all of the outlying villages they had gone to for the past week, and the hostility some had shown, Allie nodded in agreement.

"As far as King Duncan is concerned, now is the time to settle this." Gilan informed.

"We're as strong as we'll ever be and any delay will only weaken us. This is the best opportunity we'll have to get rid of Morgarath once and for all."

"None of this answers why you came by in the middle of the night." Allie reminded, sipping at her coffee.

"Orders from Crowley." The young Ranger answered simply, placing a parchment on the table.

Halt took the paper and unrolled it, reading whatever orders were written there, before rolling it closed.

"So you're taking dispatches to King Swyddned of the Celts. I assume you're invoking the mutual defense treaty that Duncan signed with him some years ago?"

"The King feels we're going to need all the troops we can muster."

"I can't fault his thinking there. But…?"

"Well, it's an official embassy to _Celtica_."

"…Of course. The old Celtic tradition."

"Superstition, more like it. It's a ridiculous waste of time as far as I'm concerned."

"Of course it is, but the Celts insist on it, so what can you do?"

Allie felt like the two Rangers were talking gibberish just to give her a late-night headache.

"It's all very well in normal times, but with these preparations for war, we're stretched thin in every area. We simply don't have the people to spare. So Crowley thought…"

"I think I'm ahead of you."

"Then you won't mind helping me and Will catch up." Allie butted in, frowning.

"Now what in the King's name are you two crazy people talking about?"

"You are speaking Araluen, aren't you, and not some strange foreign tongue that just sounds like it, but makes no sense at all?" Will agreed, bursting with frustrated curiosity.

Allie winced as Halt smacked her upside the head for the 'two crazy people' comment.

"Sorry, Halt." Both apprentices muttered.

"I should think so. It's more than obvious that Gilan is asking if I'll release you two to accompany him to Celtica."

"…What?" Allie voiced, still confused.

"Me? Why me? What can I do in Celtica?" Will asked.

"Ask interminable questions, interrupt your betters and forget to do your chores, I suppose. The real question is, Can you be spared from duty here? And the answer to that is 'Definitely'." Halt replied.

"Then why…"

The boy trailed off, silently admitting defeat.

"I need you to make up the numbers." Gilan explained, taking mercy on the frustrated apprentices.

"Traditionally, the Celts insist that an official embassy be made of three people or more. And to be honest, Halt's right. You two can be spared from the main effort here in Araluen. If it makes you feel any better, I've been given the mission because I'm the most junior Ranger in the Corps."

"But why three people?" Allie wondered.

"One person can give a message just as easily as three."

Gilan let out a sigh.

"As we were saying, it's a superstition among the Celts. It goes back to the old days of the Celtic Council, when the Celts, the Scotti and the Hibernians were one alliance. They were ruled then by a triumvirate."

"The point is, of course Gilan can take the message to them. But if he's a sole messenger, they'll keep him waiting and fob him off for days, or even weeks, while they dither over form and protocol. And we don't have that sort of time to waste. There's an old Celtic saying the covers it: One man may be deceit. Two can be conspiracy. Three is the number I trust."

"So you're sending us because you can do without us?" Will replied, sounding insulted.

"Well, we can, as a matter of fact. But you can't send just anyone on these embassies. The three members have to have some sort of official status or position in the world. They can't be simple men-at-arms, for example." Halt answered.

"And you two are members of the Ranger Corps. That will carry a certain amount of weight with the Celts." Gilan added.

"We're only apprentices." Will said.

"You two wear the oak leaf." Halt replied firmly.

"Bronze or silver, it doesn't matter. You're one of us."

Allie visibly brightened, feeling proud, but said nothing.

Will, on the other hand…

"Well, when you put it like that, I'd be delighted to join you, Gilan."

Allie elbowed the boy solidly in the ribs, and ignored his complaints as she turned to face Gilan.

"Do you think they'd accept a girl as part of this embassy? Even if I am a part of the Ranger Corps, their saying clearly calls for men. Or at least males."

"_Hey_!" Will complained, but fell silent at the threat of her elbow.

"I suppose you're right." Gilan admitted.

"But do you want to stay here alone with Halt?"

Allie nearly choked on her coffee.

"That's not what I was saying!" She retorted hurriedly, not wanting to be left behind.

"I was just thinking that we should bring along someone else. We can't afford to be sent back just because of my gender."

"True."

A scowl tugged at her lips at the suppressed laughter in Gilan's voice, and the scrape of a chair being pushed _away_ from her showed that he had gotten her threat.

"Actually, Crowley thought the same thing. Since Redmont is one of the larger fiefs, he thought you might be able to spare someone else from here. Any suggestions?"

The question was clearly aimed at Halt, and all three waited for his response.

"…I think we might have just the person you need."

Halt's next words were directed towards his apprentices.

"Perhaps you'd better get some sleep. I'll give Gilan a hand with the horses and then we'll go up to the castle."

Figuring that they didn't need her help, Allie nodded, scooping Shadow up and standing after finishing her coffee in one last gulp.

"Good night, then."

"See you in the morning, Gilan."

"Bright and early." The young Ranger warned good-naturedly.

"I knew you'd say that." Will replied sourly.

Pushing the boy through their bedroom door, Allie smiled back at the two Rangers.

"We'll be ready."


	18. Chapter 18

Once the rain started falling, Shadow hissed and scrambled under Allie's cloak from her perch on Storm's neck.

The little mare snickered in amusement, tossing her head, and Shadow responded to the teasing with a temperamental meow.

Running a hand over the cat's wet fur, Allie hunched further over the pony's neck to shield the animals from the rain as much as she could.

It wasn't long before her cloak was drenched, and Shadow was not at all happy about it.

"Well then, Horace." Gilan voiced from her left.

"Are we giving you enough adventure for the moment?"

"Less than I'd expected, sir." The Battleschool apprentice admitted from further back.

"But it's still better than close-order drill."

"I imagine it is at that." The young Ranger agreed.

"There's no need to ride back there, you know. We Ranger's don't stand on ceremony too much. Come and join us."

Hearing Blaze move farther to the left, Allie urged Storm a step to the right, closer to Will and Tug, to make room for Horace's battlehorse.

"Thank you, sir." Horace replied gratefully once he was level with the three Rangers.

"Polite, isn't he?" Gilan mused to the two apprentice Rangers.

"Obviously manners are well taught at the Battleschool these days. Nice to be called 'sir' all the time."

Shrugging at the good-natured joke, Allie pat Storm's neck as the pony tried to shake the rainwater out of her mane.

"Not a bad idea to have a bit of respect shown. Perhaps you two could call me 'sir' as well."

Allie scoffed at the thought, already knowing it was a joke.

"Sir?" Will voiced, aghast.

"You really want us to call you 'sir', Gilan?"

Gilan must have frowned or made some sort of disapproving gesture, because Will was quick to amend his statement.

"I mean, sir! You want me to call you 'sir'…sir?"

"No. I don't think 'sir-sir' is suitable. Nor 'Sir Gilan'. I think just the one 'sir' would nicely, don't you? After all, it'll do nicely to keep us all remembering who's in charge of this party, won't it?"

"Well, I suppose it will Gil…I mean, sir." Will replied, confused.

"_Yeah_, I don't think so." Allie replied, shifting slightly in the saddle.

"Oh, and why not?" Gilan challenged, mock-haughty.

"Do you see the wet, angry cat in my lap?"

"_Yeah_…"

"She's trained to claw people's eyes out, and she responds to nonverbal commands."

There was no need for her to explain any further.

What sounded like an explosive sneeze came from Horace, and she wondered if the rain had given him a cold before the sounds of muffled laughter came through.

"Joking, Will. Joking." Gilan explained, practically on the verge of a laughing fit.

"I knew that." The boy replied huffily.

"_Sure_ you did." Allie teased, smirking as Storm nickered in agreement.

Horace and Gilan couldn't stop laughing for the rest of that morning…

* * *

><p>The rain didn't peter out until mid-afternoon, leaving the ground sodden as the group made camp.<p>

Shadow, though highly irritated with being wet, soon disappeared to make her rounds of the area as Allie tended to the horses.

The boys had gone off to get dry wood for a fire, so it was her job to rub down the horses.

Storm and Tug didn't make any fuss, and Blaze only knocked Allie onto her arse for the sheer fun of it.

_Like Ranger, like horse._

When it came to the battlehorse, however, Allie was careful to avoid setting off the massive animal's temper.

By the time she was done, Shadow had returned from her patrol and her companions were making a fire.

The meal was a comfortable affair, with friendly teasing and jokes, that set Allie at ease.

Even after a year with Halt and Will, she wasn't comfortable around strangers, or even acquaintances.

_Old habits die hard_, she thought grimly, feeding the last of her rations to the meowing feline in her lap.

"Right! Lessons!" Gilan said suddenly, startling Allie out of her thoughts.

"Lessons?" Will repeated, practically pleading.

"That's right. Even though we're on a mission, it's up to me to keep up the instruction for you three."

"For me? Why should I be taught any Ranger skills?" Horace voiced, confused.

The sound of a sword being unsheathed was enough of an explanation for Allie, who returned her attention to a purring Shadow.

"Not Ranger skills, my boy. Combat skills. Heaven knows, we'll need them as sharp as possible before too long. There's a war coming, you know. Now let's see what you know about that toothpick you're wearing."

"Oh, right!"

Horace stood up after retrieving his sword, standing in front of Gilan a safe distance from the fire.

A sword was stuck into the soft earth, point-first most likely.

"May I see that, please?"

Gilan gave Horace's swords a few experimental swings, testing the balance like John used to do before his morning practice.

"See this, Will? This is what you look for in a sword."

"…It doesn't look special." The apprentice Ranger admitted.

"I bet Alex doesn't look too special, either." Gilan reasoned, ignoring the scowl pointed his way.

"But that doesn't mean she's not a formidable opponent."

Allie huffed, slightly appeased by the compliment.

"It's not how the sword looks that counts, it's how the sword feels. This one, for example. It's well balanced, so you can swing it all day without getting overtired, and the blade is light but strong. I've seen blades twice as thick snapped in half by a good blow from a cudgel. Fancy ones too, with engravings and inlays and jewels."

The last tidbit was said with a teasing tone, driving home Gilan's point.

"Sir Rodney says jewels in the hilt are just unnecessary weight." Horace agreed.

"And I bet they make people want to bash you upside the head and rob you." Allie noted.

"That, too." The Battleschool apprentice admitted sheepishly.

Horace had only met her a couple of times, and neither was under very good circumstances, so he was still wary of Allie's temper.

Gilan returned the boy's sword and retrieved his own, all business.

"Very well, Horace, we've seen that the sword is good quality. Let's see about its owner."

"…Sir?"

"Attack me." Gilan ordered cheerfully.

"Have a swing. Take a whack. Lop my head off."

Horace made no move to do so, showing his uncertainty.

"Come on, Horace. Let's not wait all night. Let's see what you can do."

A sword was stuck into the yielding ground once more.

"But you see, sir, I'm a trained warrior."

"…True. But you've been training for less than a year. I shouldn't think you'll chop too much off me."

"…I reassert my 'crazy people' comment." Allie voiced, smirking.

"But I _will_ switch 'people' to 'Gilan'."

"Well, aren't you just a fountain of wit?" Gilan replied, trying to sound annoyed.

Allie shrugged, smirk widening, and Gilan turned his attention back to Horace with a sigh.

"Come on, Horace. I do have a vague idea what this is all about."

A sword cut through the air, though it made no contact with blade or flesh.

"Come on! Do it as if you mean it!" Gilan needled.

Horace did just that; the sound of swords clashing against each other filled Allie's ears with the sound of heavy breathing and shuffling feet.

The training ended as abruptly as it seemed to start, with a slithering clash of steel.

"Right, that'll do." Gilan stated calmly.

There was a long moment of silence, and then the Ranger stepped back, out of sword-strike.

"Not bad."

"Not bad?" Horace replied, dumbstruck.

"It was terrible! I never once looked like…I never once managed to break through your guard."

"Well, I have done this sort of thing before, you know."

"Yes, but you're a Ranger. Everyone knows Rangers don't use swords."

"Apparently, this one does." Will piped in good-naturedly.

"You can say that again." Horace agreed, still breathless.

"May I ask where you learned your swordsmanship, sir? I've never seen anything like it."

"There you go again with the 'sir'." Gilan teased.

"My Swordmaster was an old man. A northerner named MacNeil."

"MacNeil! You don't mean the MacNeil? MacNeil of Bannock?"

"He's the one. You've heard of him?"

"Who hasn't heard of MacNeil?"

"I can name about two." Allie butted in.

"So why don't come over here and tell us all about him?"

Turning back to the fire as they followed her advise, the girl poured herb tea into four mugs to help chase away the chill.

"So, tell us about this Neil person." Will said once everyone was served.

"MacNeil." Horace corrected.

"He's a legend."

"Oh, he's real enough." Gilan assured.

"I should know. I practiced under him for five years. I started when I was eleven, then, at fourteen, I was apprenticed to Halt. But he always gave me leave of absence to continue my work with the Swordmaster."

"But why did you continue to learn the sword after you started training as a Ranger?" Horace wondered.

"Maybe people thought it was a shame to waste all that early training. I certainly wanted to continue, and my father is Sir David of Caraway fief, so I suppose I was given some leeway in the matter."

"Battlemaster David? The new supreme commander?"

This new tidbit caught Allie's attention, and she tilted her head up to listen more closely.

"The same. My father has been appointed supreme commander of the King's armies, since Lord Northolt was murdered. He commanded the cavalry at the Battle of Hackham Heath."

"When Morgarath was defeated and driven into the mountains?" Will questioned, awed.

"Sir Rodney says his coordination of the cavalry with flanking archers in the final stage of the battle is a classic of its kind. He still teaches it as an example of perfect tactics. No wonder your father was chosen to replace Lord Northolt."

"And what exactly does your father have to do with MacNeil?" Allie voiced, steering the conversation back on track.

"Well, my father was a former pupil as well. It was only natural that MacNeil should gravitate to his Battleschool, wasn't it?"

"I suppose so." Will agreed.

"And it was only natural that I should come under his tutelage as soon as I could swing a sword. After all, I was the Battlemaster's son."

"So how was it that you became a Ranger?" Horace questioned.

"Weren't you accepted as a knight?"

There was a long silence after that, where Allie guessed Will and Gilan were staring at the poor Battleschool apprentice until he cracked.

"I mean…you know. Well, most of us want to be knights, don't we?"

Another pause, and then Horace blundered on.

"I mean…no offense or anything…but everyone I know wants to be a warrior. You did yourself, Will! I remember when we were kids, you used to always say you were going to Battleschool and you'd become a famous knight!"

"And you always sneered at me, didn't you, and said I'd be too small?" Will replied defensively.

"Well, you were!"

"Is that right?"

Sensing a fight brewing, Allie promptly smacked both boys upside the head to distract them.

"You two are acting like _children_." She snarled, frightening both out of their anger.

"The past doesn't matter, so stop digging it up and drink your damn tea!"

"Sorry…" They mumbled, sipping obediently at their cooling beverages.

Allie's irritation eased, leaving an empty space in the atmosphere around the fire.

"Now, Gilan was about to say how he became a Ranger?" She prompted.

"Right." Gilan agreed, amused at the little girl's display of dominance.

"I was the opposite. Remember, I grew up in the Battleschool. I may have started my training with MacNeil when I was eleven, but I began my basic training at around nine."

"That must have been wonderful." Horace stated with a sigh.

"Not to me. You know what they say about distant pastures always looking greener?"

There was a beat of quiet, and Gilan decided it was time to explain.

"It means you always want what you haven't got. Well, that was the way I was. By the time I was twelve, I was sick to death of the discipline and drills and parades. There's a bit of that goes on in Battleschool, you know."

"You're telling me." Horace agreed.

"Still, the horsemanship and practice combats are fun."

"Maybe, but I was more interested in the life the Rangers led. After Hackham Heath, my father and Halt had become good friends and Halt used to come visiting. I'd see him come and go. So mysterious. So adventurous. I started to think what it might be like to come and go as you please. To live in the forests. People know so little about Rangers, it seemed like the most exciting thing in the world to me."

"I've always been a little scared of Halt." Horace admitted.

"I used to think he was some kind of sorcerer."

"Halt? A sorcerer?" Will replied in disbelief.

"He's nothing of the kind!"

"But you used to think the same thing!"

"Well…I suppose so. But I was only a kid then."

"So was I!"

Allie raised her hands threatening, and both boys immediately subsided.

"Did you ask Halt to take you as an apprentice, then?" She wondered innocently.

"I didn't ask him anything. I followed him one day when he left our castle and headed into the forest."

"You followed him? A Ranger? You followed a Ranger into the forest?" Horace stated, as if Gilan must have temporarily lost his mind.

"Gil's one of the best unseen movers in the Ranger Corps. The best, probably." Will replied in the Ranger's defense.

"I wasn't then." Gilan voiced ruefully.

"Mind you, I thought I knew a bit about moving without being seen. I found out how little I actually did know when I tried to sneak up on Halt when he stopped for a noon meal. Next thing I knew, his hand grabbed me by the scruff of the neck and threw me in a stream."

Allie snorted in laughter at the thought, covering her mouth to hold in the rest.

"I suppose he sent you home in disgrace then?" Horace guessed.

"On the contrary, he kept me with him for a week. Said I wasn't too bad at sneaking around the forest and I might have some talent as an unseen mover. He started to teach me about being a Ranger-and by the end of the week, I was his apprentice."

"And your father took it well?" Allie managed to say, taking control of her laughter.

"Surely he wanted you to be a knight like him. I guess he was disappointed." Will agreed.

"Not at all. The strange thing was, Halt told him that I'd probably be following him into the forest. My father had already agreed that I could serve as Halt's apprentice, before I even knew I wanted to."

"How could Halt have known that?" Horace wondered.

"Halt has a way of knowing things, doesn't he?"

Thinking back to the day she had inadvertently met Halt nearly three years ago, and then the day John had brought her to Redmont, Allie had to admit that Halt was very good at knowing things.

"Maybe, in his own way, he is a kind of sorcerer." Will voiced, causing Allie to nod in agreement.

A comfortable silence fell over the group, allowing the conversation to sink in, before Gilan yawned.

"Well, I'm for sleep. We're on a war footing these days, so we'll set watches. Will, you first, then Horace, then me."

Allie frowned at not being included, and Gilan was quick to put her at ease.

"I know you could stay up all night, but I'll feel better with you wide awake tomorrow, just in case."

Seeing the wisdom in his reasoning (Allie had better hearing than most, and Shadow's signals were hard to catch if you weren't fully aware), Allie nodded in agreement.

"'Night, you three."

Smiling at how quickly the Ranger fell asleep, Allie rolled up in her cloak with Shadow settled around her neck and drifted into slumber as Will took first watch…


	19. Chapter 19

Allie was never the kind of person to just sit around and do nothing; life had taught her that allowing her fighting skills to dull was never a wise idea.

Gilan had noticed immediately; after that first day, Allie was much more anxious and fidgety while he practiced with Horace, like she wanted to join in but couldn't ask.

He couldn't understand why at first (this was the girl that poked fun at Halt on a regular basis, after all), but then he remembered the older Ranger's wisdom.

"_Alex has never been treated fairly for how she is. She'll be guarded, even violent, but it's only because she doesn't know what to do._"

There had been no need to ask what had happened to her; there was a scar above her right eye and smaller, fading ones along her face and neck that answered that question.

So, after a few days of watching her try to work up the nerve, Gilan decided it was time to extend the proverbial olive branch.

"Alex, why don't you join us for practice?"

A smile lit up her face like sunshine, nearly blinding the unsuspecting Ranger with her relief and joy.

"Sure."

Leaving Shadow napping by the fire with Will, Allie followed Gilan to the open space in the trees that was being used as a temporary training area.

Horace was already there, swinging his sword around experimentally to loosen his muscles.

"Looks like you have a new training partner today." Gilan voiced, catching the boy's attention.

"You want me to spar against Alex?"

She couldn't tell if Horace's hesitance was born of fear or chivalry.

"Allie can take care of herself." Gilan assured.

"After all, her brother is one of Redmont's most celebrated knights. I'm sure he's taught her how to fight a swordsman."

"Unless there's another reason you don't want to spar with me." Allie added, a challenging note in her voice.

"No, it's not that!" Horace assured, not wanting to insult her.

"I'm just surprised, that's all. You haven't offered before."

Unwilling to admit the reasons why she had waited so long, Allie just shook her head.

"Well, I'm offering now. Do you want to spar or not?"

"S-Sure!"

Gilan couldn't help snickering at Horace's nervousness as the two moved to a clearer area, readying their weapons.

Spinning her knives leisurely between her fingers for a moment, becoming accustomed to the feel again, Allie gripped the hilts and motioned for Horace to go first.

Horace hesitated for a moment before sending a half-hearted swing towards her shoulder.

Recognizing the sound of a blade cutting through the air (having heard it whenever she sat in on her brother's training sessions), Allie deflected the blade and stepped into his guard.

Horace froze as the flat of her saxe knife tapped against his side, a killing stroke.

"Don't go easy on me." Allie recommended, stepping back out of range.

It was like when Horace had practiced with Gilan that first day; after that first tentative strike, and finding his partner skilled, he launched into an all-out assault.

Redirecting the next blow with her saxe knife, Allie used it as a fulcrum to swing herself over to Horace's unprotected side.

She was almost playful as she tapped his ribs with the flat of her throwing knife, retreating as swiftly as a shadow before he could strike back.

It went on like this for what seemed like hours: Horace would try to strike her, with the growing intent to draw blood, and Allie would redirect or altogether avoid his blade while landing 'killing strokes' at every opportunity.

"Alright, that's quite enough."

Not nearly as absorbed in the spar as Horace, Allie took it upon herself to bring it to an end.

Weaving past a swift overhead blow, she snaked her leg around the back of Horace's knee and made it buckle.

Shoving down on his shoulder at the same time, the redhead pinned his arms before Horace could try to strike her.

"That's _enough_, Horace."

Barely out of breath herself (experience had taught her to expend as little energy as possible to achieve an end), Allie listened as the boy's pulse slowed from its almost frenzied pace.

"…I'm okay." Horace assured, glad that Allie couldn't see the blush on his face.

"I take it your spar went well?" Gilan questioned, a teasing note in his voice aimed towards Horace.

"It went fine." Allie replied, standing and brushing off her Ranger's cloak.

"For you or Horace?" Will teased as Shadow climbed up onto the girl's shoulder.

"Why, do you want to spar?"

Having been on the receiving end of Allie's training before, Will was quick to decline.

"No, I'm good!"

"That's what I thought." Allie teased back, smirking.

"Take a break for a few minutes." Gilan advised, and was met with no resistance on the matter.

Stretching out her back leisurely, Allie went to the edge of the clearing to sit, scratching Shadow behind the ears as she settled on a fallen tree.

"Did Halt ever teach you the two knife defense, Allie?" Gilan wondered as Horace sat beside her heavily.

"A little while ago, actually."

"What?" Will voiced, surprised.

"How come he taught you?"

"I'm made for close combat and knife-work." Allie explained, shrugging.

"So Halt has been showing me the more advanced techniques, since I can't rely on my archery as much."

"Then I'll have to help you out with that instead." Gilan noted.

"But later. First, Will, let's see those knives of yours."

"Both of them?"

"No, the invisible one." Allie sniped, trying to frown through her amusement.

"Of _course_ he means both of them."

"Sorry…" Will mumbled sheepishly, holding out his knives for inspection.

There were a few moments of silence before Gilan spoke again.

"Right. Saxe knife goes in your right hand, because that's the one you use to block a sword cut-."

"Why would I need to block a sword cut?"

He was rapped none-too-gently on the head, and Shadow seemed to laugh.

"Well, perhaps to stop it from splitting your skull might be a good reason."

"But Halt says Rangers don't fight at close quarters." The boy protested.

"It's certainly not our role. But, if the occasion arises when we have to, it's a good idea to know how to go about it."

Horace shifted, probably to get a better look.

"You don't think a little knife like that is going to stop a proper sword, do you?"

"Mine did." Allie reminded him.

"W-Well, you deflected! That's not the same as stopping!" Horace argued, embarrassed.

"Take a closer look at that 'little knife' before you sound so certain." Gilan invited, pulling the tired Battleschool apprentice from his resting place.

The heavy saxe knife was given a few experimental swings before Horace said anything more.

"It's heavy."

"And hard. Very, very hard." Gilan added.

"Ranger knives are made by craftsmen who've perfected the art of hardening steel to an amazing degree. You'd blunt your sword edge against that, and barely leave a nick on it."

"Even so, you've been teaching me the idea of movement and leverage all week. There's a lot less leverage in a short blade like this."

"That's true." Gilan admitted.

"So we have to find another source of leverage, don't we? And that's the shorter knife. The throwing knife."

"I don't get it." Horace replied, sounding truly confused.

"Well, perhaps Will could explain it for you?"

Allie nearly laughed at the uncertainty in his voice.

"Well…it's the…ah…um…the two knife defense…Isn't it?"

"Of course it is! Now would you care to demonstrate? I thought not. So, please, allow me."

Leaning back on her seat, Allie ran a hand down Shadow's back as the feline purred, untroubled.

"Right, then. Pick up your sticker."

Tilting her head up as Gilan and Horace moved farther off, the female apprentice smiled as Will plopped down next to her.

"Now, try an overhand cut at me." Gilan ordered.

"But…"

"When will you two learn? I do know what I'm doing. Now get on with it!"

The sudden shout startled Allie, who sat up sharply in response just as steel rang against steel.

Her muscles unwound as the two stepped apart, and she berated herself for being so jumpy.

"See? The smaller knife provides the support, or the extra leverage, for the bigger weapon." Gilan explained to the watching apprentice Rangers.

"Right. Underhand cut, please."

There was another clash of steel moments later, and a moment of silence for Will to study the technique.

"Now, side cut."

The blades collided a third time.

"Getting the idea?"

"Yes. What about a straight thrust?" Will questioned.

"Good question. That's a little different. Incidentally, if you're ever facing a man using two knives, thrusting is your safest and most effective form of attack. Now, thrust, please."

The sound of a blade sliding against steel came next, a familiar sound to Allie's ears.

"We can't stop this one, so we simply deflect it. On the positive side, there's less force behind a thrust, so we can use just the saxe knife."

Horace stumbled from the lack of resistance, and was thus at the mercy of Gilan's continued instruction.

"And this is where a short blade comes in very handy indeed. And of course, if you don't want to kill him, or if he's wearing a mail shirt, you can always use the saxe blade to cripple him."

Horace's gulp was audible, and Allie could only imagine what Gilan was showing them.

"Or remember this left hand, holding his collar, also has a rather nasty, rather sharp stabbing blade attached to it. A quick thrust up under the jaw and it's good night swordsman, isn't it?"

"That's amazing, Gilan! I've never seen anything like it." Will replied in admiration.

From the way Horace stepped back from Gilan, he wasn't quite as excited about it all.

"We don't make a lot of noise about it." Gilan admitted.

"It's preferable to run into a swordsman who doesn't know the dangers involved in the double knife defense. Naturally, it's taught in the kingdom's Battleschools, but it's a second-year subject. Sir Rodney would have shown you next year."

"Can I try it?" Will wondered, jumping up from his seat and unsheathing his throwing knife.

"Of course. You three may as well practice together in the evenings from now on. But not with real weapons. Cut some practice sticks to use."

"That's right, Will." Horace agreed.

"After all, you're just starting to learn this and I wouldn't want to hurt you. Well, not too badly, anyway."

"That's one reason, of course. But we also don't have the time for you to be resharpening your sword every night."

Horace's low moan was answer enough for Allie, who snickered under her breath.

Even the Kalkara's sharp teeth and claws hadn't damaged her saxe knife, and she was proud of that fact.

"Not a mark." Gilan assured, sounding amused.

"Remember, I told you that Ranger knives are specially made."

Trying to hide her smile as Horace rummaged through his pack for his sharpening tools, Allie pulled out her own knives to clean them.

"Gilan, I've been thinking…"

"Always a problem." The Ranger replied.

"And what, pray tell, have you been thinking?"

"Well…this double knife business is all well and good. But wouldn't it be better just to shoot the swordsman before he got to close quarters?"

"Yes, Will. It certainly would. But what if you were about to do that and your bowstring broke?"

"I could run and hide."

"What if there were nowhere to run? You're trapped against a sheer cliff. Nowhere to go. Your bowstring just broke and an angry swordsman is coming at you. What then?"

"I suppose then I'd have to fight." Will admitted reluctantly.

"Exactly. We avoid close combat wherever possible. But if the time comes when there's no other choice, it's a good idea to be prepared, isn't it?"

"I guess."

"What about an axman?"

Allie nearly choked on a laugh, remembering when she had asked a much more serious Ranger that same question.

"An axman?"

"Yes. What about if you're facing an enemy with a battleax? Do your knives work then?"

"…I wouldn't advise anyone to face a battleax with just two knives."

"So what should I do?" Will asked, joining in the new game.

"Shoot him."

"Can't. My bowstring's broken."

"Then run and hide."

Putting a hand over her mouth in an effort to hold in her amusement, Allie remembered Halt's frustration in this situation.

"But there's a cliff." Horace reminded.

"A sheer drop behind him and an angry axman coming at him."

"What do I do?"

"Jump off the cliff. It'll be less messy that way."


	20. Chapter 20

All she heard was silence.

Beyond the hoofbeats and the occasional breeze, there was nothing.

This put Allie on-edge more than anything else.

Gilan had said there were nearing the border post into Celtica, so shouldn't she have heard something by now?

People walking, talking?

_Anything_?

"Where the devil is everyone?" Gilan voiced.

Storm came to a stop moments later, and Allie got the bad feeling that the post was abandoned.

"Perhaps they're between shifts?" Will suggested.

"It's a border post. It should be garrisoned at all times." Gilan informed, dismounting.

"Anything, Allie?"

"Nothing." She admitted, feeling Storm's nervousness and running a hand through the pony's mane.

"I didn't even know we were at the post until you stopped."

Shadow pulled herself up onto the girl's shoulders for a better viewpoint, bristling every now and then as if sensing that something was wrong.

"Could they have been attacked and driven off?" Horace asked.

"Maybe. But there doesn't seem to be any sign of fighting." The Ranger answered, moving further off.

"It's only a minor post. Perhaps the Celts have simply stopped manning it. After all, there's been a truce between Araluen and Celtica for over thirty years now…Maybe we'll find something down there."

Hearing the boys dismount, Allie swung down from the saddle, Shadow staying firm on her shoulder as always.

Patting Storm's neck, Allie jogged to catch up with the others, recurve bow slung across her shoulders.

Stopping in the doorway, she took in the smell of old food and dust, rubbing at her sensitive nose to keep from sneezing.

"They didn't leave recently." Gilan surmised.

Someone hit their head on a doorway of some kind, and Allie couldn't help a smirk.

"How can you tell?" Horace wondered, embarrassed.

"Celts are neat people. This dust must have settled since they left. At a guess, I'd say the place has been empty for at least a month."

"Maybe it's like you said." Will voiced, coming down some stairs.

"Maybe they decided they didn't need to keep this post manned anymore."

"That wouldn't explain why they left in a hurry." Gilan informed.

"Look at all of this-the food on the table, the open closets, the clothes scattered on the floor. When people close down a post like this, they clean up and take their belongings with them. Particularly Celts. As I said, they're very orderly."

Stepping away from the doorway to make room for their exit, Allie rubbed at her temples in thought.

_What happened here? Was it a surprise attack? Or…_

Her blood ran cold.

_Did something scare them off?_

"The map shows the nearest village is Pordellath. It's a little out of our way, but perhaps we can find out what's been going on here."

Allie would never admit that she was frightened of what they might find.

* * *

><p>Shadow was restless, pacing up and down Allie's shoulders, fur constantly on-end.<p>

No matter what Allie tried, the feline refused to calm for the rest of the day.

Trusting Shadow's instincts as much as her own, Allie listened carefully to their surroundings, ready for anything.

But there was nothing.

She was starting to hate the silence.

Storm's came to a sudden halt, jolting Allie to the present.

"What the hell is going on here?" Gilan demanded.

"Look at that!"

"…I don't see anything." Will admitted.

"And I don't hear anything, either." Allie informed.

"Exactly! Nothing! No smoke from the chimneys. No people in the streets. It looks as empty as the border post!"

Storm broke out into a canter, her hooves thundering against the stone road with the others, and Allie wondered, rather ruefully, if anyone within a mile _hadn't_ heard the noise.

Even after they stopped, the sound echoed off the buildings of the small village, making Allie pull up her bandana to protect her ears from the sudden clamor.

"Hello!" Gilan shouted, his voice ringing in the silence.

Storm shifted nervously, vibrating her mane, as Shadow curled tightly around Allie's throat.

"Maybe you shouldn't do that?" Will voiced, sounding nervous.

"Why's that?" Gilan replied, amused.

"Well, if somebody has taken away the people here, maybe we don't want them to know that we've arrived."

"I think it's a little late for that. We came galloping in here like the King's cavalry, and we've been traveling the road completely in the open. If anybody was looking out for us, they would have already seen us."

"I suppose so…"

Hearing the large battlehorse edge away, Allie turned her head towards Horace.

"Let's take a look around." Gilan said, dismounting.

"What if this is some kind of plague or something?" The Battleschool apprentice wondered, staying mounted.

"A plague?" Allie parroted, intrigued.

The smell of decaying flesh was absent, and Storm hadn't come across anything on the way in, so the thought had never occurred to her.

"Yes. I mean, I've heard of this sort of thing happening years and years ago; whole towns would be wiped out by a plague that would sweep in and just…sort of…kill people where they stood."

Tug followed the battlehorse away from the buildings nervously, most likely sensing his rider's unease.

Raising a skeptical brow, Allie leaned forward on the pommel as Shadow settled underneath her chin.

"So this plague could just come out of thin air?" Gilan questioned, calm.

"Nobody really knows how they spread. I've heard that it's the night air that carries plague. Or the west wind, sometimes. But however it travels, it strikes so fast, there's no escape. It simply kills you where you stand."

"Every man, woman and child in it's path?" Gilan prompted.

"Everyone. Kills 'em stone dead!"

"And then it just…dissolves the dead bodies away into thin air?"

"That's right!"

Allie rubbed her temples as Horace realized the question asked of him.

"Oh…Well, maybe it's a new strain of plague. Maybe it does sort of dissolve the bodies."

"And maybe I'm surrounded by idiots." Allie stage-whispered, a strange mix of embarrassed and amused.

"Trust me, if anyone had died here, Shadow would have noticed. It's more likely that they fled, like the guards at the border post."

"Any theories on what might have happened?" Gilan wondered, remembering her swift tactician's mind.

"…I don't know." Allie admitted, a frown pulling at her mouth.

"But I've never heard anyone abandon their homes in anything less than terror."

Her words hung in the air like a warning, and even the horses went still, as if sensing the heaviness of them.

"…It's getting late." Gilan noted, breaking the tension.

"We'll take a look around, then find a place to stay the night."

"Here? In the village?" Will replied, voice cracking.

"Unless you want to camp out in the hills. There's precious little shelter and it usually rains at night in these parts. Personally, I'd rather spend the night under a roof-even a deserted one."

"I second that motion." Allie voiced.

"We can't afford to get sick out in the rain."

"But…"

"I'm sure your horse would rather spend the evening under cover then out in the rain, too." Gilan prodded gently.

Allie knew Will would agree; he loved Tug, and he would do anything for the loyal little pony.

Knowing she would do the same for Storm or Shadow, Allie dismounted, rubbing the mare's nose softly in thanks.

She had the feeling that things were only going to get worse from here on out…

* * *

><p>Allie hadn't known how easy it would be to fall asleep in a deserted building.<p>

In spite of her initial worries, she found herself fast asleep, curled up in her cloak with Shadow a warm weight on her neck, alert for anything.

Even after another day in the saddle, her good night's sleep kept her more aware than Will or Horace, who had been too paranoid to rest.

Only the silence bothered her; from the village to the main road, past the mines and hills, she heard nothing beyond the horse's hooves and the occasional breeze.

"Nothing?"

Allie couldn't quite keep the scowl from her face as Gilan repeated his question for what felt like the hundredth time.

"Nothing. Not even a cricket."

"You can hear crickets?" Will questioned, glad for a break from the quiet.

"Not particularly, but Shadow loves them." She replied with a smirk, imagining the disgust on his face at the implications.

The cat's tail flicked at her cheek in what seemed like a rebuke, followed by a temperamental meow.

"Don't take everything so personally." Allie chided, smiling, as she rubbed her cheeks against the feline's soft ears.

Shadow eventually let out a low purr as a sign of forgiveness, then batted harmlessly at Allie's chin so she could reclaim her spot between Storm's ears.

"Pushy cat." The redhead teased lovingly, smiling as Storm nickered in agreement.

"…You know, I thought you would be a lot…meaner." Horace noted carefully.

"I can fix that problem, if you'd like." Allie warned lightly, a smirk pulling at her mouth.

"Th-That's not what I meant-!"

"Relax, Horace. I'm joking." She assured, turning fully towards him.

"What made you think I was mean?"

Going through the few times she had interacted with Horace before this trip to Celtica, she chuckled sheepishly.

"Actually, I suppose I can't blame you for thinking that way."

"She's not exactly a cuddly person though, is she?" Gilan voiced, teasing.

"More like a bear." Will agreed, snickering.

"Oh, really?" Allie retorted, feigning insult.

"And what in the King's name makes me anything like a bear?"

"You're grumpy." Gilan noted.

"And temperamental." Will added.

"And you certainly enjoy mauling people." Horace agreed.

"Is that all, or are you three going to write up a list?" She said after a few moments, unable to deny any of those reasons.

"Oh, come on. It's not all that bad being like a bear." Will insisted, pulling Tug up alongside Storm.

"Of course, because all of those reasons are things to be proud of."

"Not particularly." He agreed.

"But there are other reasons, aren't there Gilan?"

The Ranger sounded like he'd been put on the spot, and wasn't sure of what to say.

"Well, of course there are! Right, Horace?"

"Definitely!"

"Like what, exactly?"

They all fumbled for something to say at once, and Allie couldn't help laughing at their nervousness.

"Heaven forbid you three try to woo a woman. She'll likely bash your brains in!"

"Heaven forbid a man try to woo _you_. He'll drive himself insane!" Gilan replied, laughing at the entire situation.

Will and Horace were too embarrassed to join in, and Allie shook her head at their mumbling silence.

"_Boys_."

* * *

><p>The small party didn't stop until they crested a hill, so Allie guessed they had finally reached Gwyntaleth.<p>

Unfortunately, that was the only thing to suggest they had reached their destination.

With the breeze blowing in her face, she expected to at least smell smoke, but…

Nothing.

Allie hated hearing nothing.

"That can't be good." Gilan noted seriously.

"There's no noise."

"Noise? What kind of noise?" Horace wondered.

"Banging, hammering, clanking. Remember, the Celts don't just mine iron ore. They work the iron as well. With the breeze blowing from the southwest as it is, we should be able to hear the forges at work, even from this distance."

"Well, let's go see then." Will replied.

"I think perhaps I might go on ahead alone." The Ranger informed slowly, clearly suspicious of something.

"Alone?"

"You noted yesterday that we were making ourselves pretty obvious when we rode into Pordellath, and you were right. Perhaps it's time we became a little more circumspect. Something is going on and I'd like to know what it is."

Knowing that this was true, though she was hesitant to let Gilan go on alone, Allie freed the reins so Storm could follow Blaze down the hill on the other side.

"Set up a camp here. No fires. We'll have to stay with cold rations until we know what's going on. I should be back some time after dark."

Listening to Blaze trot off, Allie sighed, dismounting.

"Might as well get started on camp, then…"

* * *

><p>It didn't take very long to set up camp, and boredom set in quickly after.<p>

Allie attempted to keep it at bay by tending to her knives; they were her primary weapons, and needed to be taken care of like small children.

Small, deadly children, to be sure, but it was the thought that counted.

Once the edges were sharp, she carefully put them away and started scratching Shadow's neck.

The feline purred, stirred from a nap, and sprawled across her girl's lap.

"I really prefer camping in forest areas." Horace voiced, shifting against the rocks that were their temporary seats.

Allie only shrugged in reply, moving down to Shadow's stomach as the cat's purr deepened.

"After all, in a forest, you have lots of firewood, ready to hand. It just falls out of the trees for you."

"Not while you wait." Will disagreed, still sharpening one of his knives.

"No. Not while you wait. Usually it's already happened before you arrive. Plus in a forest, you've usually got pine needles or leaves on the ground. And that makes for a softer sleeping place. And there are logs and trees to sit on and lean against. And they have a lot fewer sharp edges than rock."

"Complaining isn't going to turn the rocks into a forest, now is it?" Allie chided, smiling when Shadow meowed in agreement.

"It could." Horace argued, hoping to pass the time with a dispute.

"I'm sure if you keep trying, I'll have to stop you."

Deciding to take the warning for what it was, Horace fell silent again, and the boredom crept back in.

"…I'm going to stand watch." Allie informed, waiting for Shadow to climb onto her shoulder before standing.

"If I'm going to be bored out of my mind, I might as well be doing something constructive."

"Right. Don't go too far, alright?" Will replied.

"Of course, mother." She teased, stepping out of the tent.

"I won't be far. Just call if you need me."

Allie hadn't realized how soon she would be needed.


	21. Chapter 21

Finding a small rocky outcrop to hunker down behind, Allie settled into a comfortable position.

Shadow went silent, knowing when there was work to be done, and slipped away to make her rounds again.

Pulling her bandana down around her neck with a sigh, Allie tilted her head away from their small campsite, listening.

It wasn't long before she heard movement from the tent, and she figured the boys had gotten bored.

Really, none of them were made for sitting around and doing nothing.

Tuning out their training session, she went back to checking for any danger as Shadow returned from her patrol.

Her purr signaled that no trouble had been found, and Allie resisted the urge to sigh in relief.

Slowly, slowly, her muscles began to relax and her focus deepened, broadening her senses…

Allie heard the danger long before Shadow and Storm gave a warning.

Footsteps were approaching the camp, too heavy, shuffling and numerous to be Gilan, and Allie went still.

Shadow padded softly to her side, fur bristling against the girl's forcibly-lax palm, as Allie reached slowly with her opposite hand to unsheathe her throwing knife.

Moving like a wraith over the rocky ground, with Shadow at her heels, she was soon flanking the unsuspecting arrivals.

_Should I take them out now, or let Will and Horace learn their lesson?_ Allie wondered, fingers flexing over the handle of her knife.

"Let's not, little boys. Let's put down our nasty sharp sticks and stand very still, shall us?"

_Guess that means I'll wait_, Allie figured, going completely still.

"Come on now, you boys. Sharp sticks're dangerous for the likes of you."

"…Back away, Will." Horace said quietly, pulling Will away from the men.

"Yes, Will, you back away. You stay away from that nasty little bow I see over there. We don't hold no truck with bows, do us, Carney?"

"That we don't, Bart, that we don't."

The man's voice came like a demon's after that, angry and ugly.

"Didn't we tell you to drop those sticks?"

When the two men moved, Allie struck.

Running at their backs, she jumped up and landed with a foot on each man's back.

Her momentum and weight sent both toppling forward, and she used what was left to forward-flip off, rolling into a ready crouch.

Hearing a sword being unsheathed behind her, Allie faced the scrambling bandits calmly.

"We're giving you one chance to turn around and leave."

Apparently, her small stature and gender put the men at ease, since her warning was not taken seriously.

"Oh dear, Bart. It's our one chance. What'll us do?"

"Oh dear. Let's run away."

They continued to advance, and Allie tilted her head, sighing.

_No one ever chooses to walk away…_

Circling the men, and diverting their attention from her comrades, Allie unsheathed her saxe knife, twisting both knives into a careless spin around her fingers.

This display of comfort and skill with the wickedly-sharp Ranger's knives made the men hesitate at last.

Someone moved (Allie guessed it was Will) and everyone reacted.

One of the bandits went to cut Will off from his bow, but Horace was closer, so Allie left the job to him.

The other bandit, however, was fair game.

Lunging forward when he swung his heavy weapon at Horace, she caught it around the handle with her saxe knife and twisted the club out of the man's grip.

Thrown off-balance by the maneuver and his own surprise, the bandit couldn't catch himself before Allie slammed her elbow up into his nose with a 'CRACK'.

Letting him stumble back, she reversed her grip on the throwing knife and slammed it against the side of his head.

Hearing the bandit fall, unconscious, onto the rocks, Allie turned to focus on the fight between Horace and his own opponent.

The Battleschool apprentice seemed to have everything under control, so Allie didn't interfere as Shadow jumped onto her shoulder.

It didn't take long for Horace to tire his opponent so thoroughly that he could knock the sword of the man's grasp, and Allie finally relaxed, slipping her blades away.

"Don't kill him, Horace!" Gilan called, startling the boy.

"I'd like to ask him some questions."

The fallen sword was kicked out of reach, and the man pushed to the ground, most likely too tired to react.

"Where did you come from? And why didn't you give us a hand?" Horace questioned, indignant.

"You two didn't seem to need one, from what I could see." The Ranger answered lightly, though he avoided going near Allie as he crossed the clearing.

If she could glare, she would give Halt a run for his money at that moment…

"I would have if you two were in trouble."

"When am I ever in trouble?" Allie replied, knowing, logically, that she would have been insulted at the implied lack of faith in her abilities.

"Exactly."

The still-conscious bandit was hauled to his feet and marched across the clearing by Gilan, and thrown against a rock.

The hiss of steel on leather told Allie that the man wasn't likely to try and move anytime soon.

"It seems these two caught you napping?"

"…Just how long have you been there?" Will wondered after a moment.

"Since they arrived. I hadn't gone far when I saw them skulking through the rocks. So I left Blaze and doubled back here, trailing them. Obviously they were up to no good."

"Why didn't you say anything then?" Will asked, incredulous.

"Because you two needed a lesson. You're in dangerous territory, the population seems to have mysteriously disappeared, and you stand around practicing sword craft for all the world to see and hear."

"But I thought we were supposed to practice?"

"Not when there's no one else to keep an eye on things."

"But-."

"Allie's not infallible, Will, and she can't always be there."

The boy went silent at that, and Allie frowned at the reminder.

"Besides, once you start practicing like that, your attention is completely distracted. These two made enough noise to alert a deaf old granny. Tug even gave you a warning call twice and you missed it."

"…I did?"

There was a long moment of silence before Gilan turned back to the matter at hand.

"Now, let's find out what these two beauties know about the price of coal."

Agreeing that the time for critiques was over, Allie scratched lightly down Shadow's back as the feline hissed at the trapped bandit.

"How long have you been in Celtica?"

"…Ten or eleven days, my lord." Carney said eventually, stuttering horribly at first.

"Don't call me 'my lord'."

The next words were directed towards the apprentices.

"These people always try to flatter you when they realize they're in trouble. Now…"

Allie couldn't help smiling at the fact that this interrogation was being turned into a lesson, like studying a fake spar.

"What brought you here?"

"Just…wanted to see the sights, my…sir."

The young Ranger sighed, exasperated.

"Look, I'd just as soon lop your head off here and now. I really doubt that you have anything useful to tell me. But I'll give you one last chance. Now let's have THE TRUTH!"

Rubbing at her ears thanks to the sudden shout, and promising to get used to drastic changes in volume, Allie tried to shake the ringing from her head.

"We heard there were good pickings down here!"

"Good pickings?"

"All the towns and cities deserted. Nobody there to guard them, and all their valuables left lying around for us'n to take as we chose. We didn't harm nobody though."

"Oh, no. You didn't harm them. You just crept in while they were gone and stole everything of value that they owned. I should think they'd be almost grateful for your contribution!"

"It was Bart's idea, not mine."

"Gilan?" Will asked, hesitant.

"How would they have heard that the towns were deserted? We didn't hear a thing."

"Thieves' grapevine. It's like the way vultures gather whenever an animal is in trouble. The intelligence network between thieves and robbers and brigands is incredibly fast. Once a place is in trouble, word spreads like wildfire and they come down on it in their scores. I should imagine there are plenty more of them through these hills. Aren't there?"

"Yes, sir." Carney answered in a whisper.

Allie's frown turned into a scowl.

_They didn't even think about _why _these people are gone? Didn't think it was something important enough to inform anyone? Did these people mean _nothing_?_

"And I should imagine you've got a cave somewhere, or a deserted mine tunnel, where you've stowed the loot you've stolen so far?"

There was no verbal response (Allie figured the man was getting too terrified to speak), but the sound of fumbling inside a pocket came soon after.

"Take a look." Gilan said, most likely handing whatever he had found to Will.

He unfolded the paper quickly, and answered after a few moments.

"They've buried their loot, by the look of this."

"Good, then without their map, they won't be able to find it again."

"But that's ours-!" Carney started, but Gilan's expression must have made him rethink the idea.

"It was stolen." The Ranger replied in a low tone.

"You crept in like jackals and stole it from people who are obviously in deep trouble. It's not yours. It's theirs. Or their family's, if they're still alive."

Allie tensed as she heard someone approach, Shadow bristling against her neck.

"They're still alive. They've run from Morgarath-those he hasn't already captured."

The voice was that of a young girl, closer to Will and Horace's age than Allie's, and held no threat.

"Where the devil did you spring from?" Gilan asked, sheathing his knife.

"Oh…I've been hiding out in the hills for several weeks now." She answered, sounding exhausted.

"Do you have a name?" Allie questioned gently.

Being the sole female of the little group, and the smallest besides, she figured the girl would feel more comfortable talking with her.

"…Evanlyn Wheeler, from Greenfield Fief. We were visiting friends…Rather, my mistress was visiting friends, when the Wargals attacked."

Allie had known that something had scared the Celts off, but she had hoped Morgarath wasn't behind it…

"Wargals!" Will repeated, as if the word had jumped out of his chest.

"Where did you think all the people have gone? Wargals have been attacking towns and villages throughout this part of Celtica for weeks now. The Celts couldn't stand against them. They were driven out of their homes. Most of them escaped to the Southwest Peninsula. But some were captured. I don't know what's happened to them."

"…I thought I saw Morgarath's hand behind all this." Gilan said softly.

A soft sound came from Evanlyn now, and it took a moment for Allie to realize she was crying.

Rushing to her side, she managed to keep her from falling, and Gilan helped lower Evanlyn to a seat next to the fireplace.

"It's all right." Gilan assured.

"You're safe now. Just rest here and we'll get you something hot to eat and drink."

The young Ranger turned his attention to the two male apprentices as Allie rubbed soothing circles into Evanlyn's back, humming an old lullaby.

"Get a fire going, please, Horace. Just a small one. We're fairly sheltered here and I think we can risk it. And Will, if that bandit makes another move to get away, would you mind shooting him through the leg?"

Allie had to choke down her laughter, skipping a few beats in her lullaby, as the sound of crawling abruptly ceased.

"On second thoughts, you do the fire, Will. Horace, tie those two up."

Stopping long enough for Gilan to put a cloth around the girl's shoulders, Allie smiled slightly as Shadow cautiously climbed onto Evanlyn's lap.

Taking the invitation, she hugged the feline close, hiding her face in the soft fur as Shadow purred comfortingly.

Continuing to hum, Allie rubbed her back, silently offering her shoulder to cry on.

Evanlyn's breathing regulated after a while, signaling her departure into the land of slumber, and Shadow's purr softened in recognition of that fact.

"She's obviously been under a great strain. It's best to let her sleep. You might prepare one of those excellent stews that Halt taught you to make." Gilan said softly to Will, who was heating a pot of water over the small fire.

The tantalizing smell soon reached Allie's nose, and she put a hand on Shadow's head to keep the cat from trying to get some for herself.

Once the coffee started to brew, Allie felt Evanlyn start to stir.

There was that initial reaction of surprise and panic, where a sleep-addled brain didn't recognize the surroundings on first sight, before she relaxed, the memories coming back.

"Something smells awfully good."

"Perhaps you could try a bowlful and then tell us what's been going on in these parts." Gilan offered kindly.

Sitting up as everyone else was served, Allie refused the bowl Will was offering her.

Knowing that there were only four sets of eating utensils and five people, and knowing Will like she did, Allie decided that she could wait to eat.

"Allie…"

"You go ahead." She assured, smiling.

"I'm not hungry yet, anyway."

Shadow, who had curled up in the hood of her cloak, meowed a disagreement.

But Will knew better than to try and change Allie's mind; she was the most stubborn person in the world, right next to Halt, and arguing with her was like yelling at the wind to stop blowing.

Shushing the cranky feline as everyone dug into their meals, Allie ignored her own grumbling stomach.

Carney's whining voice distracted her from the hunger gnawing at her entrails.

"Can we have something to eat, sir?"

"Of course not." Gilan answered curtly, barely pausing in-between bites to do so.

It wasn't long after that when Evanlyn realized Allie wasn't eating either.

"Oh. Would you like to…?"

Despite how her stomach, and Shadow, urged her to take the offer, Allie's conscience wouldn't allow her to.

"I can hold out until you're done."

There was only a moment of hesitation before Evanlyn continued to eat, but the redhead didn't take offense.

She had often helped out travelers to the inn when they were starving, running away from any number of things, and had felt the same, so could not begrudge the girl for not insisting in her offer.

"Thanks." She said simply, having finished her second serving of stew and no longer as ravenous.

Accepting the utensils when they bumped against her arm, Allie gave a reassuring smile as she served herself carefully.

"It's fine. You sounded famished."

"I was. I don't think I've eaten properly in a week."

"Why not?" Gilan asked as Allie dug into her meal.

"I would have thought there was plenty of food in the houses. You could have taken some of that."

"I didn't want to risk it." Evanlyn explained, a note of fear in her voice.

"I didn't know if there'd be more of Morgarath's patrols around, so I didn't dare go into any of the towns. I found a few vegetables and the odd piece of cheese in some of the farmhouses, but precious little else."

"…I think it's time you told us what you know about events here." Gilan prodded gently.

"Not that I know too much. As I said, I was here with my mistress, visiting…friends."

Bopping Shadow on the nose as the cat tried climbing down her arms for a taste of stew, the female apprentice wondered what it was that made Evanlyn hesitate.

"Your mistress is a noble lady, I take it? A knight's wife, or perhaps a lord's wife?"

"She is daughter to…Lord and Lady Caramorn of Greenfield Fief."

"…I've heard the name." Gilan admitted.

"Can't say I know them."

"Anyway, she was here visiting a lady of King Swyddned's court-an old friend-when Morgarath's force attacked."

"How did they accomplish that?" Gilan wondered, thoughtful.

"The cliffs and the Fissure are impassable. You couldn't get an army down the cliffs, let alone across the Fissure."

"Halt says no place is ever really impassable." Will voiced.

"Particularly if you don't mind losing lives in the attempt." Allie agreed, nipping at Shadow's ear so that her persistent pet would learn to wait her turn.

"We ran into a small party of Celts escaping to the south. They told us how the Wargals managed it. They used ropes and scaling ladders and came down the cliffs by night, in small numbers. They found a few narrow ledges, then used the scaling ladders to cross the Fissure. They picked the most remote spot they could find, so they went undetected. During the day, those already across the Fissure hid among the rocks and valleys until they had the entire force assembled. They wouldn't have needed many. King Swyddned didn't keep a large standing army."

A disapproving sound came from Gilan at that.

"He should have. The treaty obliged him to. But remember what we said about people growing complacent? Celts would rather dig in their ground than defend it."

Evanlyn continued after a beat of silence, where Allie finally allowed Shadow to finish the stew.

"The Wargals overran the townships and mines-the mines in particular. For some reason, they wanted the miners alive. Anyone else, they killed-if they didn't get away in time."

"Pordellath and Gwyntaleth were deserted, not attacked." Allie noted.

"Do you have any idea where the people went?"

"If they're alive, they've gone south. The Wargals seem to be driving them that way."

"Makes sense, I suppose. Keeping them bottled up in the south would prevent word getting out to Araluen." Gilan commented.

"That's what the captain of our escort said." Evanlyn agreed.

"King Swyddned and most of his surviving army retreated to the southwest coast to form a defensive line. Any Celts who managed to get away from the Wargals have joined him there."

"And what about you?" Gilan wondered.

"We were trying to escape back to the border when we were cut off by a war party. Our men held them off while my lady and I escaped. We were almost clear, but her horse stumbled and they caught her. I wanted to go back for her, but she screamed at me to get away. I couldn't…I wanted to help her but…I just…"

Sensing her distress as the shock and survival instincts wore off, Allie turned to Evanlyn with concern written on her brow.

"I got clear and I turned back to watch. They were…they were…I could see them…"

Her soft voice died away, unable to form the words for what she had seen, and Allie understood.

She had heard many things that no one had a right to, things she could never put into words.

"Don't think about it." Gilan said gently, trying to soothe Evanlyn's nightmarish memories.

"I take it that after…that…you got away into the hills?"

"…I've been hiding ever since. My horse went lame about ten days back and I turned him loose. Since then, I've kept moving back toward the north by night and hiding by day. I saw those two a few times, and others like them."

Allie frowned, knowing she meant the bandits that were their less-welcome guests.

"I didn't make myself known to them. I didn't think I could trust them."

"Woman's intuition." Allie noted, smirking.

"It tends to save us quite a bit of trouble."

That earned a weak giggle from Evanlyn, and Allie was glad to have lightened her mood a bit.

"Then I saw you four earlier today from across a valley." Evanlyn continued.

"And I recognized you as King's Rangers-well, three of you, anyway. All I could think was 'Thank God'. It took me most of the day to reach you. It wasn't far as the crow flies, but there was no way across the valley that separated us. I had to go the long way around. Then down and up again. I was terrified that you'd be gone by the time I got here. But luckily, you weren't."

"…Why would Morgarath want miners?" Will wondered aloud.

"He doesn't have mines, so it doesn't make sense."

"Maybe he's found some?" Horace suggested.

"Maybe he's found gold up there in the Mountains of Rain and Night and he needs slaves to dig it out."

"…That could be." Gilan admitted.

"He's going to need gold to pay off the Skandians. Maybe he's mining his own."

Allie leaned forward onto her knees, face turned down as something nagged at her memory.

_This doesn't feel right…Why would someone need miners? What could Morgarath gain from this?_

"Skandians?" Evanlyn echoed.

"Are they in league with Morgarath now?"

"They've got something cooking." Gilan answered.

"The entire kingdom's on alert. We were bringing dispatches to King Swyddned from Duncan."

"You'll have to go southwest to find him. But I doubt he'll leave his defensive positions there."

"I think this is more important than taking dispatches to Swyddned. After all, the main thrust of them was to tell him that Morgarath was on the move. I guess he knows that by now." Gilan informed, standing up with a yawn.

"I suggest we get a good night's sleep, and start back north in the morning. I'll take first watch, so you can keep my cloak, Evanlyn. I'll take Will's when he relieves me."

"Thank you."

As the fire was doused and Gilan retrieved his longbow, Allie put a comforting hand on Evanlyn's shoulder.

"You can sleep by me, if you'd like. I'm a light sleeper, and Shadow won't let anyone near."

"I would appreciate that." The older girl admitted.

With that settled, the redhead started arranging a sleeping space when Carney spoke up again.

"Sir, please, could you loosen these ropes a little for the night? They're awful tight-like."

"Of course not." Gilan replied, uncaring.

Allie resisted the urge to smirk.

This would teach those idiots about going around and trying to rob travelers…


	22. Chapter 22

The next morning, while cuddling a sleepy Shadow and eating breakfast, Allie wondered what would become of their bandit friends.

Getting the news of Morgarath's actions back to Araluen was of the utmost importance, and she knew that the prisoners would slow them down far too much.

Also, Horace's Battlehorse, and the pack pony that had been carrying their supplies, would never be able to manage a Ranger horse's ground-eating lope.

Frowning in thought as so many things fought for her attention, she almost missed Gilan pressing on her shoulder.

Recognizing the signal, Allie stood up and followed with Will until they were at the edge of the campsite.

"I'm thinking of pushing on ahead." Gilan informed them quietly.

"You mean alone?" Will questioned, sounding alarmed.

"This is vital news, and I need to get it to King Duncan as soon as possible. Aside from anything else, it means that there'll be no reinforcements coming from Celtica. He needs to know that."

"But…"

Allie understood Will's reluctance; with Gilan gone, they wouldn't have a support to lean on if anything happened.

Even though she had spent a long time fighting alone, she couldn't deny the security she felt at knowing there was someone watching her back.

"Let's walk a little. You don't mind, do you Allie?"

Shrugging in reply, Allie leaned back in her seat, Shadow shifting in the hood of her cloak.

"If you don't think I'm needed."

"Don't worry about it, girly." Gilan teased, ruffling her curls like Halt would.

Allie pretended that the reminder didn't sting.

"We'll be back soon enough."

"Just don't get in trouble along the way." She teased back, managing a smile as the Ranger laughed.

Listening as the two Rangers walked away from the camp, Allie turned her head to the small fire with a thoughtful expression.

_It's strange_, she mused to herself, _how things always seem to spiral when I least want them to._

Ever since the encounter with those Wargals, she felt like something was off, and the entire trip through Celtica had only made that feeling grow to the point that Allie could no longer ignore it.

Allie was a master of telling lies from the truth; without the distraction of a person's expression, she could hear the tones in their voice more clearly.

When that man, Dirk Reacher, had said he was following orders from Morgarath…

He had sounded sincere.

_But if he was following orders from Morgarath, why did the Wargals kill him?_

Frustrated that an idea had yet to come to her on the matter, she turned her attention to the more recent happenings.

_Why invade Celtica and keep only the miners alive? What can Celtic miners do so well, besides mining, that would make them so valuable?_

It was almost like a little voice in the back of her mind was whispering the answer to her, nearly as inaudible as a breeze.

Coldness seeped into her chest, as if her body understood something she did not, and Allie shivered.

"Are you alright?" Evanlyn wondered, keeping a respectful distance.

Lifting her head, the female apprentice shrugged, nonchalant.

"I think we've all been better, truthfully."

"You can say that again." Horace agreed, sitting down across from her.

"But you looked awfully upset about whatever it was you were thinking about."

"Thinking tends to upset me from time to time." Allie replied, starting to relax.

"And happier things are far from my mind, given the current circumstances."

"You Rangers and thinking." Horace teased.

"Pity you don't know what it's like." Allie retorted, smirking.

Evanlyn giggled, most likely at the Battleschool apprentice's embarrassment.

"You can be so cruel." Horace complained, pretending to be hurt.

"Oh, you're as sensitive as a little girl." Allie teased.

"I thought knights were supposed to be made of stronger stuff than that."

Shadow meowed softly, pulling herself onto Allie's shoulder.

"I hope you're not too busy." Gilan voiced as he and Will returned to the fire.

"You're in luck." Allie replied playfully.

"I just got the last word with Horace, so I'm free at the moment."

Picking herself up before Horace could try and defend himself, Allie motioned for Gilan to lead the way.

She was quick to follow once Shadow's claws had latched securely onto her cloak, and waited patiently for the Ranger to start.

"…I'm leaving you and Will in charge."

Allie was fairly certain she gave herself whiplash.

"Don't look so surprised." Gilan teased gently.

"I know you two can do this for me."

"…"

Frowning now, she rubbed the tender muscles in her neck as she thought it over.

"…They'll get home. I promise."

"What about you?" The young Ranger wondered, concerned.

"Depends on what we run into on the way back." Allie admitted.

Gilan sighed, and a hand on her shoulder gently pulled Allie to a stop.

"There are people who want all four of you to make it back alive, Allie."

Something about the set of her jaw told Gilan that she didn't believe him.

"Not many." She answered darkly.

A chill ran down his spine as Gilan realized she truly believed that.

"I can name a lot of people that would miss you." He insisted.

"I would, for one, and Baron Arald is certainly fond of you, and Lady Pauline…"

Pausing, Gilan pressed on, knowing she needed to hear it.

"Halt would miss you most, and Will."

The tension left her jaw at that, and Allie turned her face away in a futile attempt to hide her shifting emotions.

"…They'll be fine without me."

"You don't think it would hurt them?"

"They'd survive." Allie insisted sharply, and her features softened for a moment.

"Which is more than I can say for myself if anything ever happened to them…"

Gilan was silent for a long moment, and she frowned, hiding the vulnerability that had shown itself.

"What?"

"Just thinking about how Halt was right again."

Allie could practically _hear_ the grin in the Ranger's tone.

"You're a _lot_ cuddlier than you'd like us to think."

Punching him in the arm (though with a significant lack of real force), she tried to cover up her giggles.

"In your dreams, Gil!"

"Can't blame a man for trying." He defended lightly.

"True, but I can still blame _you_."

"Allie, you wound me!" Gilan replied dramatically.

Suppressing her laughter, Allie steered the conversation back onto its original tracks.

"So if we're following you, are we heading back to Redmont or going straight to the Plains of Uthal?"

"The Plains of Uthal. The army should already be there, and so will Halt. Me and Will are going over the map later to pick the best route."

Nodding in understanding and acceptance of the plan, Allie tilted her head in thought.

"And I assume we'll be bringing Evanlyn along to be questioned?"

"Of course." Gilan replied, once again impressed by her deductive reasoning.

"…She's hiding something."

And now he was surprised by it.

"How can you tell?"

"She hesitated before saying her name and fief, and was relieved to see us."

Her smile was sharp and bitter at the edges.

"I haven't been wearing the oak leaf long, but I know how most people react to Rangers."

"Just what I was thinking." Gilan agreed.

"Yeah, _after_ I said it." Allie teased.

_At least she's warming up to me_, Gilan thought to himself.

* * *

><p>The solution to their bandit problem was rather simple.<p>

First, Horace broke Carney's sword (Allie heard the metal screech past rock, and guessed it had been snapped between some boulders), and Gilan then proceeded to throw Bart's weapon down what sounded like a ravine.

Then the men were ordered to strip down to their underwear.

"You needn't watch this. It won't be a pretty sight." Gilan advised Evanlyn.

"What about Allie?"

The redhead smiled ruefully, amused.

"There isn't much of a chance that I'll see anything. Don't worry about me."

Once Evanlyn had retreated to the tent, Carney and Bart undressed, teeth beginning to chatter in the cold mountain air.

"And your boots." Gilan ordered.

Considering how frightened they were, Allie was surprised they could undress so quickly.

In practically no time at all, Horace was tossing their balled-up clothes into the ravine after Bart's weapon.

Whining followed immediately, but was soon cut off.

"You're getting off lightly." Gilan informed coldly.

"As I mentioned to Will earlier, I could hang you if I chose to."

Soon, the submissive men were tied up on the rocks, chattering loud enough to set Allie's own teeth on edge.

"Can I snap their necks instead? I'd hate for a rope to do the honor."

Gilan chuckled, clearly frightening Carney and Bart more than Allie's threat had, if their sudden stillness was any indication.

"Sorry Allie, but there's no time for that today."

Pouting like a child denied a sweet, Allie crossed her arms with a huff.

"I never get to do _anything_ fun…"

"You can get back to sassing Halt once this is all over." Gilan assured, clearly entertained.

"Right now, lets throw a horse blanket over them."

Will obliged as the Ranger saddled Blaze, speaking over his shoulder to them.

"I'm going to scout around Gwyntaleth. There may be someone there who can shed a little more light on what Morgarath is up to."

There was a pause, and Allie already understood what was going on; Gilan was throwing the bandits off their trail.

"I should be back about sunset. Try to have something hot waiting for me then."

Will touched her arm once Gilan was mounted, signaling that they should get closer.

Stopping well within arm's reach of Blaze's shoulder, Allie scratched behind Shadow's ears to keep the feline from pacing.

"Leave those two tied up and head out at sunset. They'll eventually get themselves loose, but then they'll have to retrieve their boots and clothes. They won't go anywhere in these mountains without them. It will give you a day's start over them and that should take you clear."

Nodding in understanding, Allie smiled.

"We've got it, Gil."

"Ride safely." Will said in way of agreement.

There was a moment of hesitation, and Allie's brow furrowed to show Gilan that he wasn't fooling her.

"Will, Allie, we're in uncertain times and none of us knows what might be around the corner. It might be a good idea if you told Horace Tug and Storm's code words."

Frowning at the thought, Allie was tempted to decline.

She was possessive and protective, sometimes in the extreme, and the thought of anyone else riding her faithful little pony was sacrilegious.

But she knew that Gilan had a point in asking; if anything happened to her, Storm wasn't likely to obey anyone else.

"…Alright." She conceded grumpily, crossing her arms as Shadow fidgeted against her neck.

"But…" Will started, still unsure.

"You never know what might happen. You could be injured or incapacitated and without the code word, Horace won't be able to make Tug obey him. It's just a precaution."

"…We'll tell him tonight." Will answered eventually.

"Take care, Gilan."

"Don't go getting yourself killed." Allie warned, only half-joking.

"I'll try." He answered, clasping her hand tightly.

"One more thing. You two are in command here, and the others will take the lead from you. Don't give them any sign that you're not sure of yourselves. Believe in yourselves and they'll believe in you, too."

As Blaze cantered off, Allie sensed Will's unease and took hold of his wrist for the first time since they had left Redmont.

The familiar gesture comforted him, and her wrist was gripped in return.

"…Thanks, Allie."

Managing a smile, Allie shrugged.

"I'm always here when you need me, Will. I promise."


	23. Chapter 23

The night was full of hard riding and persistent rain, leaving Allie with a grouchy cat and amused mare by dawn.

Pulling the wet handkerchief down from her hair to hang around her neck, she noticed Will's new patterns and suspected he was looking for a campsite.

Gilan had advised them to only travel during the night and camp, hidden, by day.

Experience had taught both of them that a senior Ranger's advise should be listened to.

"Why don't we keep going for a couple more hours? The horses aren't really tired yet." Horace suggested.

Will didn't answer until after they had rounded the next bend.

"We'll camp here. That's the first decent-looking campsite we've passed in hours. Who knows when we'll see another."

There were no arguments, and all four dismounted next to a thicket.

Taking hold of Storm's reins and rubbing behind the mare's nearest ear, Allie allowed herself to be led through the thick bushes to clear ground.

Flicking Shadow's ear, she felt the cat jump down to prowl the area as the red-haired apprentice retrieved her bow and quiver.

She turned from patting Storm's neck as something was thrown onto the sand.

"You can start getting a meal ready." Will said abruptly, sounding annoyed.

"I'm not particularly hungry." Evanlyn answered crisply, a hint of anger in her voice.

Frowning at the unfolding scene, Allie soothed her fidgeting pony and walked up, unafraid of the consequences like Horace seemed to be.

"I'll do it." Horace offered, trying to ease the tension.

"No. I'd like you to rig the shelter. Evanlyn can get the food out."

Allie disliked the silence that followed, and her tense body language showed it clearly as Evanlyn surrendered.

"If it means so much to you…Is it all right if Horace makes the fire for me? He can do it a lot quicker than I."

"No fire."

This time, it was Allie that rebuffed her, making it clear that she was standing by Will in this matter.

The food pack was tossed back to the ground.

"Not cold food again!"

"Not so long ago, you would have happily eaten anything-hot or cold-as long as it was food." Will answered evenly, at Allie's defense just as quickly.

"Look, Gilan knows more about these things than any of us and he told us to make sure we aren't spotted. All right?" He added more reasonably.

Evanlyn muttered something under her breath that made Allie visibly upset, and Horace immediately tried to make peace.

"I could just make a small fire for cooking. If we built it under these bushes, the smoke should be pretty hard to see by the time it filters through."

"Wargals have a keen sense of smell." Allie informed, already heading towards the edge of the clearing.

"Any smoke would leave a scent here hours after we're gone."

No one argued, so she guessed they accepted the facts.

"I'm going out to secure the campsite with Shadow."

"I'll go scouting for water." Will added.

"I wouldn't stray, if I were either of you." Allie warned.

"Until I'm sure we're safe, I'll be treating every sound as a threat."

The fresh memory of her fighting skills and acute hearing was enough to keep them from arguing, and Allie slipped over some boulders, ignoring Evanlyn's mumbled words.

Allie had promised that they were getting home, and she would damn herself thrice over if she allowed them to be caught off-guard.

Stretching the limits of her hearing, the apprentice Ranger slipped soundlessly between boulders and bushes.

It was fairly quiet, without the forest sounds she had grown so used to at Halt's cabin in Redmont, and Allie was instinctively on-edge.

She had learned that silence was as bad as chaos.

A meow warned her of Shadow's approach, and the feline rubbed against her owner's shin with a short purr before skulking ahead of her.

Smiling now, Allie tightened her grip on the recurve bow in her hand and threw back the flap over her quiver just in case.

Any Wargals that crossed her path would wish they hadn't.

Knowing that Shadow was keeping out of sight, Allie followed in the cat's footsteps.

"_Whenever you're scouting, move as if there's somebody there to see you. Never assume that you're on your own._"

Halt's words echoed in her head, reminding her to be careful.

Now that Allie thought about it, he was always telling her to be careful-even before she had recklessly attacked the Kalkara.

She admitted to herself that her protectiveness had often gotten her into trouble (trouble her mother most certainly would have told Halt in an effort to dissuade him from taking her as an apprentice), but she had always managed to get herself out of danger.

True, she had never come out unscathed, but she had been alive.

Shaking away the painful memories, Allie focused more strongly on her surroundings.

After three full circuits of their campsite from varying distances, and being satisfied that everything was as it should be, she headed back for food.

Jumping onto her shoulders with a hungry purr, Shadow paced restlessly as she arrived, noting everyone's presence immediately.

"Is everything alright?" She wondered, stopping a short distance from the group.

"Everything's fine, Allie." Will assured.

"Now come on; the food's not going to get any warmer while you're standing there."

Smirking ruefully, Allie took a seat on a smooth rock and accepted the plate Will handed to her.

Repressed hunger had her eating the dried meat and hard biscuit in record time, and Shadow happily chewed on what was left.

"Don't you like pickles?" Will wondered, directing his question towards Evanlyn.

"Not really."

"She gave you the last of them." Horace informed.

"Oh…Um…Well, thanks, Evanlyn."

"I told you, I don't like pickles."

Sensing that the tension was gone, Allie smiled, scratching Shadow's chin.

"I'll take the first watch." Will offered.

"If you take the second watch as well, you can have my pickles, too." Horace joked, and all four of them burst into laughter.

Amused by their mood swings, the red-haired apprentice Ranger got ready for bed herself.

Not needing anything besides her cloak to sleep soundly, she rolled up in the familiar warmth as Shadow lounged across her neck with a soft meow.

Comforted by the feline, and the knowledge that Will was keeping watch, she slipped into pleasant dreams…

* * *

><p>The chanting woke her.<p>

Shadow was hissing softly against her neck, arching and bristling and most likely baring her sharp little fangs.

Getting up soundlessly, she focused on the unfamiliar noises floating to her on the breeze.

It sounded like animalistic grunts, too deep and rough to be human, and the hair along her arms stood on-end.

Shadow followed her restlessly as she came up to Will's post, mentally checking the distance of the inhuman chanting.

"Something's coming."

The boy was startled, if his sudden movement and soft cursing was any indication.

"What is it?" He asked, trying to cover up his surprise.

Her brow furrowed in concentration as she turned her head back towards the source, which grew louder as the wind carried it towards us.

"…I don't know."

Will was shocked; Allie normally had a good idea of what she was hearing, even if she had never heard the sound before.

"But I doubt it's anything good. Go wake up the others."

He didn't hesitate to do so, and Allie scooped Shadow into her arms as she pulled up the hood of her cloak.

Whatever was coming, she didn't want to be caught.

The chanting was coming from the direction they had just come from, and Allie knew they hadn't been found out.

No one would allow their troops to make that much noise if they were trying to take someone by surprise.

Moving towards the others, she crouched amid the bushes, an arrow nocked on the string of her bow and Shadow hiding in the folds of her cloak.

The chanting was closer.

"Maybe you two should move back a little." Will advised softly, a little ahead of Allie in their shelter.

Horace and Evanlyn did so without protest, and she was glad for it.

Will and her had been trained to be invisible and silent (one more than the other, in both of their cases), but they had not.

"Who are they?" Horace breathed, barely audible to even Allie's sensitive ears as the chanting grew ever closer.

"Don't you know?" Evanlyn whispered, terrified.

"They're Wargals."

"Wargals? How do you know?" Will questioned.

"I've heard them before. They make that chanting sound as they march."

Allie tensed as footsteps joined the chanting, coming around the bend in the road they had taken.

"Quiet." She hissed, like a mother cat warning her kittens of danger.

"Get down! Keep your faces down!" Will added urgently.

Going utterly still, Allie mentally pictured the numbers coming down the road towards them.

She guessed that there were around thirty Wargals, since they stepped heavier and carried weapons, but…

There were more.

_The miners_, she realized as a chill slithered into her heart.

_They're moving the miners_.

Allie heard their shuffling, staggering steps and the cracking of whips as they grew closer, and nearly growled.

No one deserved to be treated that way.

"What's happening?" Horace whispered.

"Shut up! Not another word!" Will retorted sharply.

Allie would have gladly beaten them both with a Wargal if the beasts didn't beat her to it.

The procession of guards and prisoners were too close to even reprimand them, and Allie softened her breathing, knowing Shadow wouldn't move.

Allie wanted to curse every god she knew when one of the miners fell.

He wasn't the only one who fell; at least two other prisoners followed his example, most likely from being tied together.

The sudden stop caused the rhythmic chanting to cease, turning into snarls and growls as whips cracked against flesh.

This went on for much too long, and she felt her throat close.

The miner was dead.

Eventually, the Wargals realized this, and cut the body free from the other prisoners-

To toss it into the thicket.

Allie held perfectly still, her heartbeat steady to keep Shadow from startling, as the body crashed through the bush on her left, nearly close enough to touch.

Evanlyn's small cry of fear sounded like a scream to Allie's delicate ears.

The procession didn't continue on, and Allie barely dared to breath, becoming like a statue.

A spear ran through pliable flesh, but Allie refused to move.

Doing so would give her away, give all of them away, and she didn't know if she could win in a fight against a squadron of Wargals.

It felt like an eternity before the chanting starting again.

Horace began to move once the enemy had turned the next bend, and Allie slammed her foot down on his back.

"Not yet."

She waited until Will moved, more than a minute later, before pulling back.

Shadow climbed onto her shoulder, bristling against her cheek anxiously, as Allie stepped into the road with Will.

Listening closely as the chanting faded, the redhead tilted her head towards Will.

"They're taking the miners further into Celtica."

"Seems that way."

"…It's important to figure out what they're up to."

Allie turned her head back towards Will, knowing he wouldn't agree with her.

"I'll follow them. Alone."

"No way!" Will argued.

"I'm going with you!"

"Deeper into the lion's den? No." Allie replied, firm.

"Horace and Evanlyn need you more than I do. They won't make it back to Araluen without you to help them avoid patrols."

"And how are you going to spy without being able to see?"

Both of them had good points, but that didn't stop the truth from hurting.

"It's either that or all of us go." Allie reasoned.

"We could do it."

She bit her tongue to keep from saying anything immediately, and Will sensed her hesitance.

"…You promised, didn't you?"

All she could manage was a nod.

For Allie, promises were not made lightly; she never made one without the full intention of keeping it, no matter what got in her way.

If she promised someone to get the three of them out of Celtica, Will had no doubt that she would.

"We're partners, Allie. We stick together, remember?"

"…I know." Allie admitted, sighing.

"I suppose this means I have no choice on the matter…"

"Not really." Will replied cheekily.

Huffing good-naturedly, Allie turned back towards camp, soothing Shadow with a soft hand.

"I don't know why I put up with you…"

* * *

><p>Allie, still upset over her defeat, left Will to argue with Horace on the matter and went in search of Evanlyn.<p>

The girl was still shaken by their close call with the Wargals, and didn't speak when the younger apprentice Ranger entered the tent.

"…You're going after them, aren't you?"

There was no need to ask who 'them' referred to.

"Yes." Allie answered honestly.

Sugarcoating the truth wouldn't help anyone at the moment.

"I'd prefer to go alone, but if Horace is as stubborn as Will, that won't happen."

"…Then I'm going, too."

It was the conviction in Evanlyn's voice that caused Allie to hold in her immediate refusal.

"We won't be close enough to really hear them." Evanlyn reasoned, sensing the hesitation.

"Since your hearing is so sensitive, we could follow from an even safer distance."

"Which means I'll be too focused on our target and not our surroundings." Allie warned.

"Horace and Will can handle that. Besides, the only thing we need to avoid are Wargals, and they're not exactly subtle."

Rubbing her temples as Shadow purred in what sounded like amusement, Allie sighed deeply.

"Why do I put up with this?" She wondered rhetorically, earning a giggle from Evanlyn.

"I won't stop you from coming along."

Allie's serious expression choked off the girl's thanks.

"But Will and I are in charge. When we tell you to do something, you do it. As fast as you can. No debate."

Sensing a retort, Allie continued.

"If we're somehow surrounded by Wargals, and the only chance we had was to split up, there'd be no time for a five minute discussion on the pros and cons."

When Evanlyn didn't reply, Allie's shoulders lowered from their tense straightness.

"I promised that I'd get all three of you back home, and I _will_, even if you hate me along the way."

"I don't hate you." Evanlyn argued vehemently.

"I trust you to make the right choices."

"You've only known me a couple of days." Allie reasoned.

"How can you be so sure?"

"Will and Horace trust you."

The apprentice Ranger couldn't formulate a reply.

"When those bandits were threatening them, it was like they were waiting for something to happen. Then, sure enough, there you are, knocking them down like rotten trees."

Remembering how they hadn't tried to defend themselves until after she had moved, Allie realized that Evanlyn was right.

"If they trust you enough to save them when they can't see you, I can trust you to get us home, safe and sound."

Swallowing whatever emotion was choking her, the red-haired apprentice nodded.

"Alright, then. You'd better go tell Will and Horace what you've decided; they won't be happy about it."


	24. Chapter 24

Allie officially _hated_ tracking Wargals.

If it wasn't so darned easy, she would have snapped and massacred the lot of them on principle alone.

Anything that made so much noise, and _repetitive_ noise at that, deserved to be strangled…

The female apprentice rode point, leading the group towards whatever destination the Wargals were headed for, while depending on Shadow and Storm to sense any dangers closer at hand.

Will rode far in the back, making sure no one tried to come at them from behind, leaving Evanlyn safe in-between with Horace.

Will had informed her that they were heading for the Fissure, and she could only imagine what Morgarath was planning.

The mountains were steep, and, as Horace had pointed out, getting an army over them and the gap would take months.

_Can't go over, but…_

The thought sent a chill down Allie's spine, and took root in the base of her brain like a stubborn cat.

_Maybe you could go through._

* * *

><p>Allie's fears were confirmed on the third evening of tracking the Wargals.<p>

The ring and thud of something hitting stone and wood, like war drums being struck out of time with each other, reached her ears like warning bells over the breeze.

"We're getting close." She cautioned, feeling the tickle of Shadow's fur against her neck.

It wasn't until an irregular cracking sound became painfully audible that Allie brought them to a halt.

"I'll go see what they're up to." Will stated, dismounting Tug.

"Be careful."

Listening nervously as her fellow apprentice slipped away, Allie edged her mare towards the side of the path, fingers flexing over her recurve bow.

Time passed slowly, like molasses over tree bark, and her anxiety mounted with each second Will did not return.

_Relax_, she ordered herself.

_He's fine. Those stupid Wargals wouldn't notice him if he was lugging around an angry cat_.

The pep talk didn't stop her from being relieved once Will got back.

"So what's going on? Did you see anything?" Horace asked once the boy caught his breath.

"A bridge. They're building a huge bridge."

"A bridge?" Allie echoed, a chill dripping down her spine.

"Why would Morgarath want a bridge?" Horace wondered.

"It's a huge bridge, I said. Big enough to bring an army across. Here we've been discussing how Morgarath couldn't move an army and all its equipment down the cliffs and across the Fissure, and all the time, he's been building a bridge to do just that."

"That's why he wanted the Celts." Evanlyn voiced.

"They're expert builders and tunnelers. His Wargals wouldn't have the skill for an undertaking like this."

"They're tunneling, too." Will informed.

"There's a narrow crack-sort of a cave mouth-in the far side that they're widening."

Allie cursed.

"I should have known!"

"Known what?" Horace wondered, wary.

"I never felt right about those plans we got from Reacher. I thought he sounded sincere about having orders from Morgarath because he _did_. Morgarath doesn't care who dies to achieve his goals."

"So you think…" Will started, hesitating.

"The plans we found were fakes to influence our strategy. We wouldn't expect an attack from behind."

The realization was beginning to seep in for the apprentices, but it seemed Evanlyn was still in the dark.

"What are these plans you keep talking about?"

"Will, Alex and Halt-their Craftsmaster-captured a copy of Morgarath's battle plans a couple of weeks ago. There was a lot of detail about how his forces were going to break out of the Mountains via Three Step Pass. There was even the date on which they were going to do it and how Skandian mercenaries were going to help them." Horace explained.

"False plans." Allie reminded.

"And our army has no idea."

There was a heavy silence after that, which Horace broke.

"Then we've got to tell them. Right away."

"We've got to tell them." Will agreed.

"But there's one more thing I want to see. That tunnel they're digging. We don't know if it's finished, or half-finished, or where it goes. I want to take a look at it tonight."

"Will, we've got to go now." Horace insisted.

"We can't hang around here just to satisfy your curiosity."

"And give them another false lead?" Allie challenged, Shadow pacing along her shoulders.

"You're right, Horace." Evanlyn placated.

"The King must know about this as soon as possible. But we have to be sure that we're not taking him another red herring. The tunnel Will's talking about could be weeks away from completion. Or it could lead to a dead end. This whole thing could be yet another ruse to convince the army to divert forces to protect their rear. We have to find out as much as possible. If that means waiting a few more hours, then I say we wait."

"It'll be dark in an hour, Horace." Will reasoned.

"We'll go across tonight and take a closer look."

The Battleschool apprentice was silent for a while, so Allie kicked him in the shin to speed up the process.

"OW! All right! We'll look tonight. But tomorrow, we leave."

* * *

><p>Allie's patience had been worn thin since crossing the Celtic border, and she was nearly out after being forced to wait with Evanlyn and the horses instead of scouting with Will and Horace.<p>

Sensing her unease, Storm pressed against her shoulder, barrel-shaped chest rumbling with a soft, comforting nicker.

Patting the mare's forelock in thanks, she tilted her head towards the cave being made across the Fissure.

Someone had been groaning for a while, but they had long gone silent, which did nothing to ease her concern.

A soft meow signaled the approach of their friends, and the apprentice Ranger lowered her bow, gesturing to Evanlyn not to strike.

"Have we got something to tell you." Will voiced, joking tone strained.

Crouching in a circle, Will told them about what he had seen on the other side of the tunnel, scratching at the dirt with a stick to make a map.

"Somehow, we're going to have to find a way to delay Morgarath's forces." The apprentice Ranger concluded.

"I thought you said we should get word to the King." Evanlyn replied, confused.

"We don't have time anymore. Look."

Whatever had been drawn was wiped away, and something else scratched in its place.

"They said they have more Skandians coming up the cliffs on the south coast-to join with the Wargals we've already seen. They'll cross the Fissure here, where we are, and move north to attack the barons in the rear, while they wait for Morgarath to try to break out of Three Step Pass."

"Yes, we know that." Horace replied.

"We guessed it as soon as we saw the bridge."

Allie kicked the Battleschool apprentice in the shin again, glaring.

"_But_, I also heard them saying something about Horth and his men marching around Thorntree Forest. That's up here to the north of the Plains of Uthal."

"Which would bring the Skandians northwest of the King's army, leaving them trapped between the Wargals and Skandians who have crossed the bridge and the other force from the north." Allie explained.

"Exactly."

"Then we'd better warn the King, surely!"

"Horace, it would take us four days to reach the Plains." Will informed patiently.

"Even more reason to get going. We haven't a moment to waste!"

"It would take another four days for anyone to come back and hold the bridge, at the very least." Allie added.

"That's eight days, all told. Remember what that poor miner said? The bridge will be ready in four days' time. The Wargals and Skandians will have had plenty of time to cross the Fissure, assemble in battle formation and attack the King's army."

"But…"

"Horace, even if we get warning to the King and the barons, they'll be badly outnumbered and they'll be caught between two forces-with no way to retreat. The swamps of the fenlands will be behind them. Now, I know we have to get a warning to them. But we can also do something here to even the numbers."

"Plus, if we stop the Wargals and Skandians from crossing here, the King will have the advantage over this northern force of Skandians."

"They won't be outnumbered, I guess." Horace admitted in acceptance of Evanlyn's reasoning.

"And those Skandians will be expecting reinforcements. Reinforcements that will never arrive." Allie included, smiling mischievously as Shadow purred.

"…But what can we do to stop the Wargals here?"

There was a glitter in Allie's sightless eyes that signaled a bold idea.

"Burn the bridge."

* * *

><p>Dawn impeded their plans, and the whipping and snarling of Wargals drew them to the overlooking rocks.<p>

Pressed against the cool stone, Allie listened intently as the Celts continued their work, tense as a spring.

She hated not being able to help those poor people, but there was nothing she could do…

"We'll have to do it tonight." Will whispered.

"I've been thinking…" Evanlyn admitted softly.

"How will we get this fire started? There's barely enough wood around here for a decent campfire."

The thought troubled Allie for a moment…

Until she heard the 'THUD' of a hammer striking wood.

Will seemed to have caught onto her line of thinking.

"There's plenty of good firewood here, if you know where to look for it."

* * *

><p>They waited until full dark before approaching the bridge, the two Ranger apprentices leading their ponies to the unfinished end.<p>

"I hope it doesn't rain." Horace voiced.

"That'd ruin our idea all right."

The thought had occurred to her, but Allie hadn't wanted to worry Will.

She smacked the apprentice knight soundly upside the head.

"It isn't going to rain."

Feeling a tug on her arm that meant Storm had stopped, the female apprentice pressed a hand against the mare's wandering nose.

"Alert."

Huffing softly to show she understood, Storm lifted her head away to keep watch as Shadow curled around Allie's neck.

"You'll be all right without us?" Evanlyn worried, hesitating to cross the uncompleted section of bridge after Will.

"I'll be fine." Allie assured, smiling despite her own concern for their safety.

"Now go across, before you lose anymore darkness."

Once they had crossed, Allie let out a soft, tired breath before settling behind a boulder to 'keep watch'.

She hated not being able to help.

If she wasn't blind…

_If I wasn't blind, I wouldn't have what it takes to be a Ranger_, Allie reminded herself fiercely.

_And they'd be doing this without me here to watch out for them_.

With new determination, the female apprentice listened closely, ignoring the sound of wooden planks being torn free and focusing on the natural sounds.

Shadow glided down her back like a ghost, off to re-secure the area.

It felt like hours before the sound of footsteps approached from the bridge.

Nocking an arrow on instinct, Allie waited for the three-note whistle that signaled the newcomers were friends.

When it came, horribly out of tune and grating on the ears, she lowered the bow and stepped away from her post.

"Is it done?"

"Will's lighting it right now." Evanlyn assured.

Glad that the ordeal was nearly over, Allie faced the bridge, hoping to soon hear the crackle of flames.

Shadow had returned to her usual perch on the apprentice Ranger's shoulder by then.

Relieved, Allie smiled as Will ran across the thin beams without breaking stride, back where it was safe.

She knew something was wrong when the others fell deathly silent.

"It's gone out!" Horace shouted, pained.

Allie's heart went cold.

"…Maybe one side will be enough?" Evanlyn hoped.

"The right-hand pylon is damaged, but it's still usable. If the left-hand side survives, they can still get across to this side."

"And then they could repair the whole thing before we can get a warning to King Duncan." Allie realized, finishing her partner's explanation.

Hearing footsteps on the bare beam once more, she jerked towards the bridge.

"Don't you dare!"

"I have to relight it, Allie."

The wood groaned like a tortured beast, and her heart leapt in terror.

"I'll do it! I can-!"

"Allie."

Will didn't need to say anything else.

She knew that he was the only one who could cross safely, ignite the pylon, and get back.

She just wished it wasn't true.

"…If anything happens, I'm going after you."

"Is that a promise?" He replied cheekily, stealing across the gap.

"…Yeah." Allie admitted softly, fingers tight over her bow.

"It is."


End file.
